The Rangers: Echo
by Thug-4-Less
Summary: Young men and women, some enamored with tales of the Lone Wanderer and The Good Fight, others driven by a lust for adventure, and a few simply searching for a place to call home, are drawn to Reilly's Rangers in the hope that they will find the answer to their heart's desire.
1. I

"Ah! Welcome back, registered guest!" Cerberus exclaimed in the overly enthusiastic, psuedo-military cadence his programmers had long ago given him. The Mister Gutsy robot rotated its appendages until the pincer was facing forward. "Did you remember my request, human?"

Lee removed his backpack, groaning a bit in relief after he set it down on the floor, and retrieved the tiny canister of flamer fuel he had managed to scrounge up in the lower levels of the Museum of History.

"Just like ya asked for, Cerb." Lee answered the militant automaton and held out the canister.

Cerberus plucked the canister up by the handle, grumbled to himself something about incinerating rotting zombies, before he turned around to literally shit a box of .44 magnums.

"Thanks for your assistance, civilian. Closing dialog system."

Lee shook his head as he snatched up the box of ammo. He had been down to two speed-loaders and four rounds for his .44 Telly Custom Magnum Revolver when he had arrived in Underworld several days ago. His old .32 hunting rifle had been in sorry shape. Thankfully the ghouls in Underworld had bee nice enough to fix his rifle in exchange for retrieving some scrap from the lower levels. Then, in a bizarre turn, Cerberus had revealed that he had an entire box of .44 magnum ammo up his robotic butt and would trade them for some additional flamer fuel. The amount of fuel that he had traded was certainly not equal to the cost of the ammo but Lee was certainly not complaining.

"Hey, kid!" Lee was still having a hard time telling ghoul voices apart except for Carol and Greta for some weird reason but Winthrop was the only one that called him 'kid'. "I see we weren't wrong about helping out another smoothskin. How much scrap have you got with you?"

Lee shrugged and resisted the urge to sneeze at the amount of chalky dust that arose from the shoulders of his borrowed leather armor, "Hell if I know, Winnie. All I know is that it's heavier than shit."

Winthrop laughed warmly despite the fact that it was still weird for Lee to actually see a ghoul laughing, "Alright, kid. Let's go to Tulip's and sort this shit out. Those damn air filters need fixing again and hopefully we'll have some good stuff to fix them with."

Lee watched Winthrop pick up the heavy bag with a grateful smile. It probably weighed thirty pounds. It was still pretty early, he knew he had left for the lower levels sometime in the middle of the night, so the main hall was relatively empty.

"Hey, has ya seen my nose?" The slurred voice of Patchwork came from the mound of shapeless rages on a bench to the left.

"No, you lush! Get the Hell to your cot!" Winthrop shouted as he shook a gnarled hand at the drunk. "You're stinking up the place worse than it already is!"

Lee chuckled as Patchwork's response was a thunderous belch and a slightly less noisy fart before he toppled off the bench.

"Sonofabitch!" Winthrop muttered, putting a hand to what was left of his nose as he hurried into Tulip's store. "Close the damn door!"

Lee let loose with peals of laughter as he closed the door and Tulip cocked her head to the side in puzzlement as Winthrop blew explosively from his nasal cavity.

"It's not funny! I have half a mind to kick him out! I could say he's a hazard to public health! God! It's almost as bad as a brahmin!"

"You guys should get your own comedy show, Winthrop." Tulip's barely there lips were turned upwards in a small smile at Winthrop's melodramatic display.

"Yeah, sure, Tulip. Whatever you say."

Lee approached the counter and smiled widely at Tulip, "Hey, Tulip. Did you miss me?"

"Sure I did, Lee." The human always got the impression that Tulip's voice should have been high, squeaky, and perpetually cheerful but the ravages of radiation had done a number on her vocal cords. "How did my work hold up?"

"You do good work, amiga. The bolt never worked so smooth and the work ya did on the pull with the Telly was great! You should get more into gun-smithing with that kinda talent."

Tulip looked down at the counter, "Oh, stop teasing."

"I'm not! You're better than anyone around here gives you credit for, girl! It's just sad that there aren't enough people coming here to trade with you!" Lee smiled as he got an idea. "Hey, I know some traders that might be interested in making the trip if I can convince them that the route's not too bad. Of course, ya might still not sell very much to the ghouls around here. They're a pretty basic bunch. No offense."

Tulip smiled again and raised her head, "None taken. You want me to clean your guns for you? Free of charge this time."

"Thanks, Tulip. You're the best!"

Lee removed his gunbelt and handed his weapons over to the ghoul-girl.

"Hey, kid. Stop trying to get with my girl and come give me a hand with all this shit."

"Gotta go. Thanks again, Tulip."

"No problem, Lee."

It turned out that Winthrop had already sorted the parts out and there were enough to fix the air filters. Lee loaded a smaller duffel with the parts, changed into spare overalls and accompanied a toolkit toting Winthrop into Carol's Place. They ascended a pull-down ladder into the primary ventilation duct and got to work.

"I should be the one thanking you, kid." Winthrop said as they began the monotonous task of checking the rotting filters one by one along the entire duct that encircled the upper level of Underworld.

"For what?"

"The sex hasn't been this good in years! Tulip's taken a shine to you, kid, if you catch my meaning and I'm reaping _all_ the benefits."

Lee chuckled, "Not all of them. I'm getting my guns maintained for free and a discount on ammo. In my line of work, sometimes that's more than ya ever expect."

"I hear ya, kid."

The two worked in companionably silence for a few hours, sharing a bottle of water and a huge piece of brahmin jerky for a lunch break, before they finally descended back into Carol's. They were greeted by an excited Greta.

"Lee! He's here! Ryan just told me he went into the bar!"

Lee's reaction was comical to say the least. He could feel his eyes growing wide and his mouth drooping open. It was not an unusual occurrence when a person finally achieved a goal after nearly a month of searching. Winthrop's hand clapping him on the shoulder startled Lee out of his shock.

"Go on, kid. I'll get the stuff back down to Tulip's."

"Thanks Winnie, Greta!" Lee was in such a state of shock that he actually kissed Greta on her leathery cheek before racing out of the back door of Carol's.

_Hmm. It's kind of spicy. Weird._

The errant thought didn't stop him from barreling into Tulip's like a madman, "Tulip. He's here! Is my ghillie-suit fixed yet?"

Tulip smiled, a little sadly it seemed, "Yes. Here ya go. Your guns are in their usual place and I even sharpened your blades."

Lee grinned and went around the counter to take his ghillie-suit from the ghoul-girl. He surprised her with an impromptu hug that lifted her off her feet. Tulip laughed and swatted him on the shoulder when he put her down.

"Go on and get changed so you can make an impression!"

Lee nodded and quickly went to the back of Tulip's shop to change his clothing. The ghillie-suit was an off-gray color mixed with brown that was broken up by dried clay he had long ago smeared on it. Some of it had been washed off during the repairs but it was still serviceable for camouflage. His wide leather belt went around his waist first and then the slightly slimmer gunbelt. His freshly cleaned hunting rifle went across his back and the sidearm in its holster. The only prized possessions he really had were the titanium tomahawk and double-edged combat knife that his father had passed down to him. There were a number of other bone- or wood-handled knives hidden about his person but those were not meant to display the appearance of a professional mercenary. Lastly, he slid on a dark gray headwrap.

"How do I look, Tulip?" Lee said, putting on his meanest scowl.

She laughed and put a hand to her chest, "Oh, I think I might faint, you're so scary!"

"Smartass!" Lee smiled and took a deep breath. "Wish me luck!"

Lee jogged out of the room and up the stairs that led to what everyone was now calling 'The Bar'. He entered by the front door and his eyes, as always, went to the massive bloodstain behind the counter. Apparently the former owner had met with a gruesome end at the hands of a combat shotgun not too long ago. It wasn't any of his business and, from what Tulip had told him, Ahzrukhal had been a nasty fucker that deserved far worse than he got. Several of the habitual bar patrons twisted in their stools to fix him with rheumy eyes.

"That Vaultie's in the back, smoothskin." One of the women in a horribly stained dress slurred before turning back to her bottle of whiskey.

Lee took several deep, silent breaths before he straightened his spine and walked confidently into the sitting room of the bar. Once again, he found himself frozen in place upon entering the area. He had been hearing about the exploits of this man that Three Dog called The Lone Wanderer for almost a month. So there was naturally more than a bit of hero worship involved in his mental image. He had expected a behemoth of a man with muscles as thick as a super mutant and a jaw that looked carved from granite. The Lone Wanderer would be gruff, serious and not take shit from anyone. A perfect paragon to show the assholes of the Wasteland that not everyone would let them have their way.

What he found was a wide-shouldered, slender man nearly being raped by a woman in loose, canvas pants and what looked like the sort of leather-and-metal brassiere a raider might wear.

"Yes, Sydney. I would like to fuck you, very much, but it wouldn't be a nice thing to do in front of Charon and a bunch of ghouls who aren't getting it off." The Lone Wanderer's tone was exasperated and fond all at the same time.

The woman, Sydney, sat back from where she had been sucking on his neck and whined, "Fuck them! I haven't gotten any in weeks!"

"Nathan, we have company." A ghoul-voice came from the corner to Lee's left and he cursed himself for having been caught unaware.

Standing in the corner was probably the biggest person he had ever seen, man or ghoul, garbed in heavy combat armor. A combat helmet with its visor pulled up capped his head. The combat armor had 'Reilly's Rangers' and some kind of weird leaf beneath crossed swords stenciled on the right breast. On the left breast was what looked like a cowled figure paddling a raft. Above the figure was the name 'Charon'. Lee's eyes narrowed slightly as the ghoul flicked off the safety on his combat shotgun.

"Take it easy, Charon. This must be the guy Tulip was gushing about."

Lee turned back to the table and saw that the girl had removed herself from The Wanderer's lap. Sydney was definitely a looker but the sour expression on her bee-stung lips dampened that attractiveness. She ran a hand through her straight, black hair before sitting in an empty chair with a disgusted sigh. Her dark brown eyes fixed Lee with a casually hostile stare as if to say, 'Get on with it so I can get fucked!'

"So, care to tell me your name and why you wanted to meet me so bad?"

Lee turned back to The Wanderer and swallowed nervously. The man couldn't have been much older than Lee's own seventeen years but he had an air of sad wisdom that permeated even the raised eyebrows he was directing at Lee. His dark brown skin contrasted oddly with dark blue eyes but that just made him all the more imposing to Lee. He was also garbed in heavy combat armor with the weird leaf logo on the breast. A stylized '101' was stenciled on the opposite breast above his name. His combat helmet was sitting on the table beside a pair of sunglasses. Lee stifled a grin at the sight of the dirty gray headwrap on top of The Wanderer's head.

"Well, man, you can talk, can't you?" The Wanderer teased him with a broad grin.

"Yeah... my name is... uh, Leslie Tanner, but my friends call me Lee. I, uhm, Three Dog said you'd be here and told me that you had hooked up with the Rangers and I, uhm, wanted to join." The words rushed out of Lee in a flood that he just couldn't stop.

"Interesting." The Wanderer placed his elbows on the table and folded fingerless glove-covered hands together. "Have a seat, Leslie. Tell me about yourself. Where you come from, your people, that sort of thing."

Lee took a seat opposite Sydney and The Wanderer with his back to Charon but he didn't really mind that.

"I don't have any family left alive. We were from the Southern Wasteland, hundreds of miles south I think, and we had it pretty good for a long time. My Daddy was a hunter and kept meat on the table and kept us safe while my Mom and my brother and three sisters ran the little farm we had. When I was around eleven, I think, one of the bigger gangs in our area started eating up all the larger gangs and squeezing the farms even harder than before. People were being killed and then a rival gang joined with a bunch of smaller ones and it was gang war, muy grande. After a bunch of our neighbors were burned out..." Lee took a minute to breath and still the rapid beating of his heart as the tale ignited the hatred he had been carrying around for years. "Well, my Daddy decided it was time for us to move on. There's not really any safe places anywhere but Daddy said staying in a territory where there was open war was a recipe for eating a bullet."

"I've heard that before." The Wanderer interjected softly, his cobalt eyes focused entirely on Lee's face.

"We hooked up with a caravan heading north and didn't look back. It was smooth sailing all the way up 'til we crossed the southeastern border of the Capital Wastes. We were hit by slavers looking for an easy score. I... I was the only survivor."

"Fuck, kid." Sydney whispered, the hostile glare gone from her eyes.

"My Daddy did for a lot of 'em and... later, I got the rest. I'll never forget any of their faces." Lee shrugged, "I spent the next four years in the southeast patch of the Capital Wastes and a little in Unified Virginia. I've been hunting mostly but I've done some mercenary work, mostly scouting. Not everyone knows me in all the little hovels in that area of the Waste but I know where they all are and, when people stick around for a few years, they tend to look kindly on me for providing them with meat. That's about it."

The Wanderer nodded slowly, "Reilly's Rangers are definitely looking for more people. Talon Company's been up our asses since before I signed up. There's a lot of caps to be made doing merc-work and a lot of people don't want to do business with those bastards. Apparently not a lot of mercenaries want to work with them either. You're the tenth person I've come across this week. What kind of skills do you have?"

"Well, I'd like to think I'm a pretty good scout. I'm good with knives and my tomahawk here. Very good shot with rifles and I'm a pretty quick draw and I'm fairly steady when I do it unlike some of the 'gunfighters' you come across around here."

The Wanderer grinned, a familiar glint in his eye, "Oh, pretty quick, huh? How quick are you?"

As always, movement and thought came nearly simultaneously. Lee snatched The Wanderer's glasses off the table and tossed them into the air. Everyone at the table, and probably Charon behind him, almost involuntarily raised their eyes to track the sudden movement. In those scant seconds, Leslie drew his .44 Telly, cocked the hammer, and had it pointed at The Wanderer's face. He blinked and a 10mm pistol's barrel was aimed at his chest.

"Fuck!" Sydney exclaimed, hastily pulling out a .32 snub-nosed revolver from beneath the table.

"Drop it!" Charon shouted half a second later and Lee felt the barrel of the shotgun at his temple.

Lee locked eyes with The Wanderer, grinned, and snatched the spinning sunglasses out of the air with his free hand. "Quick enough."

With that said, Leslie slowly released the hammer and holstered his sidearm. The Wanderer burst into laughter and put away his own sidearm.

"You're in, Leslie. Can I call you Lee?" Lee nodded and Nathan continued after retrieving his sunglasses. "We'll be leaving in the morning and I expect you to have all your stuff ready to go. There'll be some training and a provisional period to see if you have what it takes but I don't think that'll be a problem for you."

"What'll I be doing?"

The Wanderer rubbed his chin, "We were thinking about putting a team over in the Megaton-Arefu area. I never explored that area that well and I don't know a lot of the people, but I heard there's lots of opportunities. I think you'd make a good ambassador to that area. Smoothing the way with the locals, so to speak. Plus, we can never get enough experienced scouts in the Rangers. We're not going to be a balls-out, shoot-em-up outfit like Talon."

Lee nodded, "I'll be ready."

The Wanderer held out his hand, "Welcome to Reilly's Rangers, Lee."

Lee shook enthusiastically and couldn't keep the stupid grin off his face, "Thank you, sir."

"None of that. You can call me Nathan."

"Okay, Nathan." Lee laughed, almost hysterically, "Tulip's going to go crazy!"

"She _can_ get overly excited. See you in the morning."

Lee nodded in goodbye to Sydney and Charon. The beautiful woman still had her pistol out and looked positively shocked. Charon had resumed his former position but his eyes never stopped tracking Lee.

"As for you, Syd. If you'd just come to the Ranger Compound, we could fuck all you wanted. Well, as long as we did it in the cubby-hole we made for that. Joining isn't that bad. Think of the perks."

Lee couldn't stop laughing as he left the bar.

* * *

Wolf lowered herself onto her mattress with a quiet sigh. That damned Brick had them all running endless tracks around the block and through the alley on the main avenue outside of the Compound at least four times a week. 'Conditioning' she called it, but Wolf would have thought 'torture' was a better word. At least the men, and one of the women, were too tired to ogle her as she changed into a dry, sweat-stained, sleeveless shirt. It had never annoyed her before, at least she thought it hadn't, how people found her so instantly attractive. She'd met women who had better bodies and more beautiful faces. It didn't make any sense.

The incessant howl of the wind blowing through the thin metal walls that the Ranger recruits had built around the second-floor of the office building above the primary compound also didn't do anything for her mood. They had fixed the more intact interior rooms of the building up as best they could but it was still drafty and noisy. No one else ever seemed to have trouble falling asleep on their threadbare mattresses and that irritated Wolf even more.

Her musing was interrupted by the harsh clang of Brick's police baton on the trashcan-lid she carried around for just that purpose.

"Up and at them, you lazy fucks. We've got a new recruit. Wolf, he's your third woman, man, person, whatever." Wolf bolted upright at that one and looked toward where Brick stood at the front of the barracks.

Standing beside the militant woman was a slender boy about Wolf's height. His skin looked like it was a natural shade of brown beneath the several layers of dirt and roaddust covering him. He was dressed in odd grayish-brown clothing with the stock of a hunting rifle over one shoulder and a revolver at his hip. A grimy hand removed his equally filthy headwrap and clutched it in a nervous hand. Close-cropped hair eliminated any worry about lice spreading, to which Wolf breathed a sigh of relief, and then she noticed the predatory stare coming from the young man's seemingly innocuous light brown eyes.

When their eyes met, it was as though a sizzling spark of fire went from the crown of her head, to her feet, and then directly into her crotch.

_Whoa, where'd that come from?_

Wolf tried to not let it show but she could feel her face becoming flush the longer they stared at each other. Thankfully, Rachel came to her rescue in typical fashion.

"That's just great, Brick. Thanks for bringing another scruffy waster that'll prolly wash out in a day." Rachel stood and practically preened at the fact that she bettered the kid in height. "Listen, kid, I'm sure you're swell and you might even be able to shoot the side of a brahmin at ten paces, but we're mercs. Not scavs, not bully-boys, and definitely not shit-for-brain raiders. So if you're looking for shits-and-giggles, you might want to take your ass elsewhere. You follow me, boy?"

"The name's Leslie, friends call me Lee." Leslie narrowed his eyes at Rachel. "You call me Leslie. Where can I sleep, Brick?"

Brick barked laughter, "Next to Wolf, the gold-skinned one in the back. She's gonna be your team leader if you make it, like I said. Oh, yeah, Rachel. Don't fuck with this one. Heard he beat Nathan to the draw. Sleep tight, don't let the Muties gnaw your faces!"

Leslie breezed past a shocked Rachel and casually sauntered his way to the end of the room. Evelyn, bunked directly across from Wolf, was staring at the kid from behind her glasses with a dazed expression. The brunette girl was practically drooling from the mouth and the kid wasn't even clean yet.

_Yeah. Part of it's probably the fact that he didn't take Rachel's shit. Then again, _my_ pussy is still kind of tingly, so who am I to talk._

Wolf stopped the inner monologue as she watched Leslie unpack his belongings, break down his rifle into two parts, and stow the majority of his gear in the foot locker. The only things he kept out were his boots and a bone-handled knife he slid beneath the mattress. When his armor came off, leaving him in nothing more than a pair of gray boxer-briefs, Wolf was impressed despite herself. For someone so young he had an impressive amount of minor scars on his hands and forearms. She'd seen similar in people that fought up close with knives. There were a few more, slightly longer, scars on his abdomen and back. What really impressed her was the single bullet wound on the right side of his ribcage. She could see the partial exit wound on his back and it was small-caliber. It looked like the bullet had skipped in and out between the ribs. He was extremely lucky he had avoided a punctured lung. Still, to have come through all that, as young as he was, spoke loads about the kid's talent.

Rachel, of course, had to act as though she wasn't impressed even if she was. "Goddamn, kid. You must be shit if you're that young and you're all messed up like that. You sure you have what it takes?"

Leslie shrugged without facing the dark-haired woman, "I'm alive. They're all dead. All that counts."

"Enough, Rachel. Go to bed." Wolf interjected and was pleased when Rachel acquiesced with a nod. "I'm Wolf. I'll be the medic for the team when we go active as well as the team leader. That's Evelyn." Wolf pointed at the doe-eyed girl, who waved meekly back, and received a shy grin in return. "She'll be maintenance, repair, electronics... basically making sure all our gear's in order. You've met Rachel. She'll be heavy weapons, explosives; standard heavy-lifter sort. What's your specialty?"

Leslie shrugged, "I'm an okay scout, good with a rifle, pretty fast on the draw. Nathan said I'd be good to be an 'ambassador' since I know most of the big players in the southeastern part of the Wasteland."

Wolf nodded thoughtfully, enjoying how his gaze stayed locked on her eyes and not on her breasts, as well as _not_ liking the effect it seemed to have on her body.

_Damn. I must have, what, seven or eight years on the kid? No jailbait for you, girl, even if that doesn't technically matter anymore._

"Day starts at seven in the A.M and usually lasts until nine in the P.M. Depends on the training schedule you have for the day. I'm sure they'll have one for you by tomorrow. Welcome to the team, Leslie."

"You can call me Lee."

Lee was instantly awake and on his feet when loud clanging shocked him from his sleep. Memory came back to him slowly, as it always did when he was suddenly awakened, and he found himself instinctively bending his knees in a fighting stance.

"Easy, rookie! Put that damn knife away before I shove it up your ass!" The abrasive, cocky female voice brought the previous day back in a rush of memory.

"Sorry, Brick! I get jumpy in the morning sometimes!" Lee exclaimed, glad that his skin didn't show a noticeable blush since it felt like his face was on fire.

"Whatever, Lee." Brick shrugged armor-laden shoulders. " I'm gonna say this on account of you since everyone else already knows the drill. You've got fifteen minutes at wake-up to eat, shower, shit, whatever. After that you're mine until we break. Get to it, people!"

Lee placed the knife back beneath his pillow and smiled slightly as Wolf let out a tortured groan.

"I tell you what, Lee. When we get out on our own, I'm never making anyone get up before noon if I can help it."

Lee smiled and met his future team leader's sleepy amber eyes. She ran a hand through her sleep-mussed dirty-blonde hair before pulling it back in a shoulder-length ponytail. Wolf was almost exactly Lee's height of 5'7" and had the body of a sex goddess if the teenager had ever seen one. But it was her eyes that he could drown himself in for hours.

_I shouldn't be thinking of her like that. Shit._

Lee shook his head slightly as if he could clear his lustful thoughts from his head and slipped into line behind Evelyn's tight, chocolate braid. The girl's head barely came up to Lee's chest and she turned to look up at him with a shy smile. Her wire-rim glasses, huge on her pixie face, only made her seem even younger than she probably was. Lee's gaze almost involuntarily lowered after she turned around.

_Wow. She has an ass that just won't quit though._

"Stop staring at her ass, you fucking perv!" The remaining girl on his team, Rachel, brayed like a donkey from behind him as they walked down a flight of stairs into a square room with metal fixtures along one wall and what looked like repaired bathroom stalls on the other.

Evelyn stopped where she was and turned to Lee with bright spots of color in her otherwise olive skin tone. Her dark brown eyes were wide and seemed to see right through him so he winked at her. A sly smile, full of feminine smugness, stretched across her mouth and she quickly walked into a vacated stall. Lee turned to look up at Rachel's pale, smirking face.

"Are you always this obnoxious or did I catch you on a bad day, muchacha?" Lee said as he subconsciously relaxed his muscles once he noticed how muscular the tall woman was.

Rachel's obsidian eyes glittered strangely in the early morning light filtering through the cracks in the exterior wall,"Today's a good day, you little fuck. Now get out of my way so I can piss!"

"I'm next." Lee said before ducking into the stall that a man with shoulders as wide as a brahmin had just come out of. There was only one reaction when he saw the present the man had left for him. "Fuck!"

_Maybe next time I should let her go first. I don't even think that'll flush!_

Thankfully it did flush and Lee quickly did his business. He was met with a surprise when he saw the streams of water spraying from the metal fixtures on the walls. Steam was rising from the cold stone floor but it did little to obscure the several people that were scrubbing themselves furiously with soap and the hard sponges that were commonly used for sponge-baths in the wastes.

"What? Never seen a shower before?" Rachel asked, her voice heavy with derision as she quickly shucked off her chestwrap and panties before stepping under an unoccupied head. "Don't tell me you've never seen a naked woman before either?"

Despite himself, Lee realized that he found Rachel disgustingly attractive. Her breasts were high and smaller even than Evelyn's with very pale, pink nipples. There was no doubt that her legs were her best attribute though. They had a long, lithe musculature that made him salivate at the thought of licking the water off of them. Her ass looked tight, firm, and the way her hips moved just reeked of sex.

"Ease up, Rach. You already scared Evelyn away from the showers." Wolf interjected from beneath a head at the opposite end of the room.

Lee avoided looking in that direction at all. There was no telling what reaction his body would have if he saw Wolf nude.

"Where did she go?" He asked, seizing upon the opportunity to escape Rachel's ire and Wolf's delectable body.

"Probably to the lunchroom!" Wolf shouted to be heard over the rest of the showers being turned on. "She loves to eat and never gains much weight! I hate that bitch!"

Everyone laughed at the comment and Lee decided not to take it seriously. He nodded and walked through the doorway to the shower area. The smell of some kind of grain mash led him down the hallway and to a room where several tables were set out with large, steaming pots in their middle. He found the quiet girl sitting at a table by herself; reading a book as she spooned a grayish-brown confection from a bowl. Lee saw that there were stacks of bowls, plates and utensils on each table. A few seconds later he was standing on the opposite side of the table from Evelyn.

"Mind if I sit?" Lee asked, grinning when she looked up with a start.

"N-no." Even her stammering was endearing.

"Damn. What's this crap supposed to be?" Lee grimaced as he used the ladle to pour some of the grainy mess into his bowl.

"It's good for you!" Evelyn practically squeaked in her excitement. "They could make it tastier but its got all the essentials for a hearty breakfast. There's even fruit-nut in there. Well, not much today, but sometimes there's lots!"

Lee grinned, "You think it's weird that we're eating our breakfast in our underwear?"

Evelyn cocked her head as if she had never considered the question before, "Well, I didn't. Is it weird?"

Lee laughed for a few moments before calming down by eating a spoonful of mush, "I guess it's not. What are you reading?"

"Oh, it's a repair manual for Mr. Handy's. It's really quite interesting. Did you know that, with the right modifications, a Mr. Handy is even more proficient at home defense than a Mister Gutsy?"

"No, I didn't. How's that work?"

Evelyn smiled one of the widest, most pleased smiles Lee had seen in a long time. It reminded him of Tulip, actually. The girl's bubbly personality was infectious, he could feel it making his smiles more light-hearted in nature, and the way she was looking at him caused a simmering heat in his lower half.

_Wow_. He thought as she excitedly rambled about Mr. Handys. _All three women on my team are hot but one of them I want to strangle and the other two are off-limits. Why couldn't I get stuck with a trio of unwashed cretins with faces only a drunken mother could love? Well, at least Evelyn's fun._

_

* * *

_

_Author's Notes: I don't know how I feel about this story but it's been circling around in my head like a buzzard for awhile so, partially thanks to the persuasions of a fellow author, I've decided to post it. I have to warn whoever might read to the end of this first chapter that I may end up growing disgusted with the entire endeavor and just scrapping it. It probably depends on the responses it gets and how busy my life gets. I've been having weird moods lately so I have no idea where this'll end up._

_Ghillie-suits, in their contemporary setting, are used in heavy foliage. Leslie borrowed the term for his own camouflage gear but, suffice to say, it is not as complicated, hot, or effective as a modern-day ghillie-suit. It is modular though and, with a bit of elbow grease, can be made to provide reasonable camouflage capability in a wide range of environments._

_In my version of the FallOut world, there are still a few areas in the continental U.S. as well as the rest of the world, that has a _lot_ of foliage. How it has, or has not been, affected by all the fallout is something that may or may not be addressed in this fic._

_This tale will contain both ugly and beautiful things. Points of view I don't necessarily share and behavior I would never condone. But it's a broad swathe of life that I'm trying to paint and so there will be scenes of graphic violence and sex. I will abide by the rules and not make it so gratuitous that it would be rated Adults-Only but I will try to keep the interactions realistic._

_As always, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed what little I have so far._


	2. II

Lee ducked beneath a sweeping left hook and jabbed the blunt edge of his rubber sparring knife into the solar plexus of his opponent. Rachel hissed with pain but aimed a cloth-wrapped jab straight at his face. He saw it coming though and managed to twist out of the way, reverse his blade, and jam it into the big artery in her crotch. The tall woman growled out her frustration as he spun around her, grabbed her across the chest, and stabbed upward several times near her spine.

"You're dead." He whispered.

"Alright. That's enough for the day!" Brick called out from her chair just outside the entryway to the Compound's front door. "Hit the showers and remember that the timer is only on for three minutes. So you guys better not start flogging your noodles in there! Same thing goes for you girls basting the taco! Yeah, I'm lookin' at you, Lita!"

Lee had been training during the first stint of his provisional period in the Rangers for almost two weeks now. The Wanderer, Lee still had trouble calling him by his first name, had said that most of the remaining recruits were close to being activated for local mapping assignments. There was a part of Lee that couldn't wait to fight the Good Fight, as Three Dog called it, but another part would miss these almost leisurely days. There were only eight of them left, the other four had been forced to come together after their teams had fragmented, and the days were full of learning new things or just practicing skills they already had. Their nights, before they passed into exhausted slumber, were usually filled with simple games and the telling of fantastic stories about their adventures. The only sore spot was the teammate he had just handily defeated in their sparring match.

Lee let Rachel go and was glad that he wore fairly baggy shorts with a cup so that his growing erection wasn't on full display. He still had not gotten over how attractive he found all three of his prospective partners. In all the years he had been wandering from job to job, he had never found the time or energy to even think about women like he was starting to ponder his new team. Rachel turned and fixed shining black eyes on him. For a second, her pale face actually seemed as though he had done some personal insult to her, but once that second was over the usual cool disdain replaced it. He tried not to stare at her breasts as both nipples were clearly defined thanks to the off-white halter top she wore.

"Come on, kid. Let's go and sponge off. A chance to take a load off is nothing you should pass up." With that said, Rachel turned and got behind the other pair as they headed up the stairs to the temporary barracks that had been built above the original Compound.

Lee didn't follow though and instead approached Brick as she straightened from her seat. The hard-eyed, violence craving merc fixed him with a casually hostile stare and that was the most pleasant expression he could get out of her after a couple weeks of acquaintance.

"Hey, Brick, I was wondering why you have me fighting with a knife and the others are fighting bare-handed. I know how to box some."

Brick shook her head, "Kid, you might be able to go toe-to-toe with someone bare-handed, but that knife and tomo-hawk you're carrying have seen some use. I know the signs. You've killed people with melee weapons, maybe your bare fists, but the rest of the these pukes are so new to the game that half of them probably never threw a punch in their life. It's all guns, guns, guns! As much as I like them myself, I agree with Nathan, that you've got to get used to the close-and-personal. Especially since runnin' out of ammo is such a hazard in this line'ah work."

Lee nodded, he could understand that kind of reasoning, but something still bothered him, "Okay, but why do you have me practicing with Rachel all the time?"

Brick laughed, "Because she's got a stick up her ass about bein' some badass merc. Don't get me wrong, the girl's good with a minigun, almost as good as me an' Eugene. But she's always trying to be the best and doesn't really think about her options. She kicked everyone's ass, including mine, in hand-to-hand her first day and you couldn't even give her advice about her shooting after that. Bitch acted like she was so much better than. You came along and I figured I'd give you a rubber knife and have at her. Heh. Guess I'm psychic, Lee. That bitch has become an eager little learner and is soaking up everything I can teach her. Even about hand-to-hand, so she can kick _your_ ass. You're a good motivational tool, kid."

Brick winked at Lee before picking up her chair and going back inside the Compound. The wastelander shook his head and made his way up the stairs and into the barracks. Lee wasn't surprised to find that the two from the other team were already asleep. Nathan and Donovan were probably still running classes about their respective specialties. Lee quickly went to his footlocker, removed his clothing, and went into the shower room. The sound of soft weeping was coming from one.

_Damn, Evelyn, again? _Was Lee's first thought and he immediately went to open the door to give her a hug again.

Evelyn was probably the most sensitive girl he had ever encountered in his travels, but she was also one of the sweetest and that was something. The nice girls usually were kind of crazy in the out-of-touch-with-reality way as opposed to the nasty girls that were crazy in the cut-your-balls-off way. Evelyn seemed very in touch with what was going on, but the cruelty of the wastes was hard on her.

So, it was with great surprise that Lee opened the door and saw Rachel with a bloody razor in her hands. She looked up at him with bloodshot eyes and a terrified expression. The sharp-eyed scout had noticed the line of neat scars down Rachel's forearms but he had always figured it was some kind of tribal thing. Apparently it was self-inflicted and it didn't look like Rachel was her usual self.

"What's-" Lee's words were lost in a bark of surprise as Rachel grabbed his arm and pulled him into the tight confines of the stall.

His eyes narrowed as the edge of the razor came up to his throat.

"Don't you tell anyone about this, you little wasteland shit." Rachel hissed, her eyes were really wide and shining with tears that were slowly escaping their confines. "You think you're so tough and experienced. Think you're better than _me_. Yeah, well, you're not. They all think you're some kind of badass fighter, but they'll see. We'll get you out there and I bet you'll die on our first job. Then they'll see that I'm the best. Don't fucking test me, you skinny punk. Now get out of here."

All thoughts of the fact that their naked bodies were pressed against each other were lost as he listened to Rachel's manic tirade and the rapid beating of his heart. She let him go and he slowly backed out of the stall. Rachel walked nonchalantly passed him, put the razor down on the sink, and stepped underneath a shower stall. Lee watched her for the three-minute shower and his eyes followed her as she grabbed a stained towel to dry off with. He finally spoke when she neared the doorway.

"If you ever pull anything on me, even a finger, I'll kill you."

Rachel paused for a moment, twisted at the waist to fix a single obsidian eye on him, and took several mechanical steps from the room.

* * *

Evelyn adjusted her grip on the .32-caliber revolver she was using for target practice and tried not to squirm as Lee held used his hands to adjust her stance at the hips.

"Okay. Try that."

The Ranger recruits were at their bi-weekly target practice with live ammunition. Everything in the Wastes cost money so none of them got to use a plentiful amount of live rounds for practice. Most of the time they used BB rifles and handguns. Nathan wanted all of them, especially the several that had barely fired weapons in their lives, to get used to the feel of an actual weapon in their hands. Evelyn was abysmal with anything heavier than a 10mm submachine gun and her accuracy with one of those wasn't the best even with the stock extended. The lightest sidearm they had was a .32 and even then her accuracy was barely over 75%. Some people were just not meant to fire guns.

_If not being able to shoot means that Lee puts his hands on me then I think it's an acceptable trade._

Lee was not the most handsome man that Evelyn had ever seen but he was probably the sweetest person she had met since her family had moved to Rivet City. In contrast to how sweet he could be, there was an aura of wildness that the charming young man could exude at will. Eve had been surprised at how attractive she found that side of him. The world outside of her former community had revealed some harsh truths about human nature and she had met several men who didn't even try to hide their savagery with even a slim coating of humanity. It was something she tried not to think about and it was easy to forget when Lee was being so nice to her.

Eve closed one eye, took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger. The shot was loud even through her earplugs and the gun bucked in her hand but she controlled it just like she had been practicing. The can she had been aiming for was catapulted into the air with a metallic ping.

"First shot!" Evelyn squealed, set her gun down on the table, and jumped into Leslie's arms. "Thank you!"

There was a moment when Lee's arms were slack but then he tightened them around her briefly before setting her down.

"Are you two going to fuck or shoot!?" Rachel's caustic voice came from the other end of the long table.

Lee turned his head to face Rachel and Eve thought the tall woman turned away from the gaze uncomfortably but that was crazy. It seemed like nothing could make Rachel uncomfortable.

_But she has been oddly subdued around Lee the last few days._

The sky was overcast today, a thin gray sunscreen, that brought some welcome relief from the blistering heat of the sun. If it weren't for Ranger training and the always present threat of violence, Eve would have probably been working the nerve up to ask Lee if he wanted to go for a walk with her.

_Oh God! I have to ask Wolf about the rules when it comes to relationships in the team. If we had private rooms... stop thinking! God, I'm blushing _again_! Please don't let him notice._

Lee looked down on Eve for a moment before turning and resuming his place at the table. From down the line came the harsh clatter of two assault rifles as Rachel and the beefy guy that called himself 'Banger' had their own target practice on vaguely man-shaped scarecrows. From beside her came the thunderous boom of a pump-action shotgun and she couldn't stop the yelp that came from her.

"Evelyn." Nathan's voice was soft but that only furthered her embarrassment at having been caught not practicing. She turned and looked up at the slight frown on The Wanderer's face. She couldn't see his eyes through the sunglasses he wore whenever he was out during the day but she knew they would be displeased. "We're going to send you guys out on your probationary run in a few days. If you can't demonstrate that you can fire when other firearms are going on around you... well, I'm afraid I won't be able to clear you to go."

_Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry, damnit!_

A strong hand gripped her shoulder reassuringly and Lee's voice came from behind her.

"She'll be ready, sir."

Nathan looked over Evelyn's shoulder for a few moments before nodding and moving down the line.

"Look out!" The Wanderer shouted a second later and they turned to see him snatching a pump-action shotgun from Wolf's hands. "The damn safety's off and you were going to point it right at my crotch! Maybe fifty push-ups, twenty-five at a time, will help you remember your lessons on proper handling of a firearm. Do it!"

Evelyn stood there for a moment as Wolf dropped to the dusty ground and began her punishment. Wolf almost never did anything wrong and it was amazing to Evelyn that she _could_ do anything wrong.

"Come on, Ev. Let's get you back on track. I wouldn't want you getting left behind, bonita." Lee gently reoriented Evelyn to face the four remaining cans in her target area before placing the revolver back in her hands.

"Bonita? What's that mean?" She asked absentmindedly while she lined up her shot.

"Beautiful."

The teenage girl responded as her ilk had done for centuries, both before and after the nuclear war, and let loose a delighted giggle at the unexpected compliment.

* * *

Wolf slowly chewed a thick wad of irradiated gum as she lay on the roof of the Ranger Compound watched the slow progression of wispy clouds against the backdrop of a full moon. Below her she could hear the sounds of the other seven provisional Rangers celebrating their acceptance. They would start their first mission tomorrow and, despite Donovan accompanying them, Wolf was supposed to be in charge of her team. She honestly didn't know how she felt about it. She was older than the others, yes, but there were times when the despair just became too much for her. She absently scratched at the brand on her left hip.

"_No! Please! I have a wife and three daughters, lady! I was just trying to feed them!"_

Wolf closed her eyes as the mental voice devolved into hoarse screams that almost drowned out the sound of a machete repeatedly hacking into flesh.

"It's very peaceful up here, isn't it?" Nathan's voice came from the ladder that everyone used to get to this relatively small piece of intact roof.

"Yeah." Wolf didn't bother to open her eyes as she heard him settle beside her.

"Something bothering you?" He asked after a few moments of silence.

"No." Wolf just barely resisted the urge to snap his head off.

"You feel like you're not the best person to lead your quad, I bet."

Now Wolf did open her eyes and found that Nathan was sitting with his arms casually folded atop his bent knees as he looked out into the nearly impenetrable darkness of downtown D.C.

"I felt the same way when Reilly asked me to co-command the Rangers. I'm okay with a rifle and just smart enough to know when to run and when to fight. Other than that, I'm still a little clueless as to how a lot of the things work up here. My father's still out there somewhere and, a lot of the time, I just want to disappear into a hole in the ground and give up."

"Why don't you?" Wolf asked, for she had wondered that very thing about the enigmatic figure that so many people were painting this man as.

Nathan shrugged, "People need help and why not me? More importantly, I've found myself in the position to maybe make a tiny part of this place just a little safer for my children. If I ever have any."

Wolf chuckled, "From listening to Brick complain, you and Sydney are going to make the Rangers flat-broke from buying birth control shots."

The Wanderer laughed, "Apparently Sydney's making up for lost time. Is there something else bothering you? I've noticed the odd looks you've been giving your quad."

Wolf snorted, "Except for the last week, I've had to physically separate Rachel and Lee at least a dozen times. Now they just glare at each other and that worries me even more. It's the kind of glares people give each other before they draw weapons. Evelyn and Lee keep making eyes at each other. It wouldn't be so bad if Lee wasn't so fucking _charming_. I'm amazed that I haven't walked in on them humping like jackrabbits yet!"

"Well, there's not a lot we can do about fraternization in the quads except transfer people if it starts to affect their duties. Hell, look at me and Sydney. Or Reilly and Butcher."

"Reilly and Butcher?" Wolf paused for a second and nodded. "Yeah. That makes sense when I think about it. I don't know. It just feels weird watching them dance. Plus, I-"

"You-?"

"I know he's young and all but when he looks at me, I'm not exactly _un_affected. It's embarrassing but I'm pretty sure I have it under control. Sometimes though, I _know_ he's looking at me when I'm not looking at him, and he likes what he sees."

Nathan was quiet for a long time before he quietly sighed and ran a hand along his smooth scalp, "There's not a whole lot I can do right now. Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie have been together for a little over a month now and I can't just swap people out without a justifiably reason. Do you want to switch one of them with someone from Reiner's quad?"

Wolf closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose for a few moments before replying. "No. That's not necessary. Yet. I'll wait and see how we all work together before I start swapping people."

Nathan clapped Wolf on the shoulder and grinned, "One of the marks of a good leader is learning how to be patient and let a situation play out for a while."

"I am sorry, but Nathan does not wish to be disturbed," Charon's distinctive accent came from the ladder and was immediately followed by a feminine grunt of frustration.

"Out of my way, Charon! He's up there with one of those tramps, isn't he?! It'd better not be that gold bitch!"

Wolf rolled her eyes, "My skin's _not_ golden. Jesus! How do you put up with her, Nathan?"

"Sydney's not so bad. We just have to work on her trust issues. She, like many of us, hasn't exactly had a stable home life."

Wolf turned her gaze back to the moon, "Amen to that."

* * *

Lee let out a long, slow whistle as he held up his modified ghillie suit. It was heavier than it had been before thanks to the addition of the interior components of the chest piece of a standard set of Ranger combat armor. Besides that, with the addition of patches with the Ranger logo and his name stenciled into the fabric, his suit looked the same.

"So, you like it?" Evelyn asked shyly from beside him.

Lee turned to her with a pleased smile, "It's perfect. Thanks a lot, Ev."

Before he could stop himself, he pulled her into a one-armed hug which she returned very enthusiastically. Rachel groaned from the other side of the room where she was changing into her own personal set of Ranger heavy combat armor.

"Aren't we supposed to be hurrying so we can get this show on the road, Wolf?" Rachel complained as she adjusted her shinguards.

"We have a few minutes, but you two need to get dressed and armed," Wolf spoke in her usual detached manner but Lee thought he detected a thread of irritation. Who it was for he couldn't be certain. "I think they're anxious for us to actually _make_ some money instead of costing it."

Lee nodded and it was only then that he realized he had not released Evelyn yet. He hastily did so and tried not to look at her disappointed pout. He quickly stripped out of his training shorts and gray-white, sleeveless shirt without any concern for the five women and two other men in the room. They had all seen each other naked numerous times at this point. Once he was fully clothed in his suit, complete with his headwrap, it almost felt like he was home again. It could get hotter than Hell but it was better than the vulnerable feeling he had struggled with the last few weeks.

A bandoleer of .32 rifle cartridges went over his shoulder while his gunbelt once again rested comfortable across his waist. This was the first time in almost a year that he had full loads of ammo for his weapons and it felt surprisingly good. His knifebelt was crossed over the gunbelt and his purposefully non-reflective tomahawk went through its loops on the back. Lee popped open the cylinder on his .44 Telly, checked to make sure it was actually loaded, locked the cylinder back into place, and finally slid it into the holster with a satisfied grin. His backpack was heavier than he liked it, but he was playing the brahmin for this assignment, and he was responsible for carrying the equipment even though Rachel was bigger than he was. Last, but not least, Lee picked up his hunting rifle and gave it one last check.

The provisional Ranger looked up to see that everyone except Evelyn was ready. Rachel was decked out in standard Ranger Battle Armor but she had a half-empty shotgun bandoleer across her chest. Her sidearm, an N99 semi-automatic, rested comfortably across her waist with several clips on the opposite side. Leslie couldn't help but stare at the several, fragmentation grenades dangling from the shoulder-strap of her backpack. A pump-action 12-gauge rested across the backpack she wore while an R91 assault rifle with a lovingly polished stock rested in her hands. She certainly did cut an imposing figure but Lee couldn't keep the sneer off his face.

"You going to take a picture, boy?" Rachel returned his sneer in kind.

"That's enough. Let's go outside, Rachel." Wolf interrupted by stepping directly in Lee's line-of-sight.

Wolf's body armor was a little loose on the sides thanks to her ample cleavage but she never intended to be on the frontlines anyway. She had a gunbelt with an N99 and several clips. Her hips were literally covered in pouches filled with first-aid supplies though. An emergency trauma kit was strapped to her lower back and looked like stimpacs had been slid into the loops on the straps of her backpack. On one thigh rested an H&K MP5 and a quartet of magazines circled the other. All of it only made her even more sexy to Lee and he just knew that he would have to get transferred before he wound up making an ass of himself around the woman.

"So, how do I look, Lee?" Evelyn's sweet voice almost made him groan with frustration.

The tortured young man turned and found the shy girl looking at him expectantly. Finding armor in her size had been a bit of a problem but with some work the Battle Armor seemed to fit her well. A shiny Smith&Wesson .32 lay in its holster and was circled by a plethora of additional ammo. She had an MP5 and magazine set-up identical to Wolf's. The rest of her gear, including a bottle that was marked with a flammable symbol, was completely foreign to him. Eve looked like what she was. The cutest gearhead Lee had ever met.

_What the Hell am I going to do?_

"I wouldn't mess with you, chica." Lee said with a grin.

Evelyn returned his smile, her huge eyes sparkling, before Lee turned away and gestured for her to exit the room ahead of him. He could see her grin out of the corner of his eye and just knew that the extra wiggle she put into her walk was meant for him.

The two of them were the last to leave the aboveground armory and they entered the open door to Ranger HeadQuarters. Sydney was lounging beside the doorway with a cigarette in one hand. She nodded at them, stamped her smoke out, and followed them down. They quickly joined the others in the briefing room, lining up beside Wolf, as the core of Reilly's Rangers stood across from them. Lee had not had much to do with Donovan, Butcher, or Reilly but they seemed alright. Charon was his usual quiet self while Sydney lounged in a chair by the computer. Nathan was as cool and inscrutable as always.

"It looks like you eight are the only ones that made it." Reilly walked from one end of their line to the other. "I'm not one for long, dramatic speeches and I'm not going to start now. Welcome to the Rangers. Good luck on your first assignment."

With that said, Reilly made a hasty exit from the room. Lee shared a look with Wolf and Evelyn.

The Wanderer shook his head, "You'll have to forgive Reilly's brusque manner. She doesn't take it well when provy's don't make it. It's one of the reasons we've only just started branching out, so to speak." The man, who was quickly becoming something of a folk hero to the Capital Wasteland, clapped his hands together then. "Reiner, you're now in command of provisional quad, Delta. Your designation is Delta-One. Welcome to the Rangers."

The rest of Reiner's quad, Lita, Banger, and Myra, were welcomed into the mercenary band with similar designations. When it came time for Leslie's quad to receive designations, it all passed in a haze to him. By the end of it, he was officially a part of provisional quad, Echo, and his designation was Echo-Two.

"Delta Quad, your first assignment is a simple information retrieval run. Bravo and Charlie Quads are setting up a firebase near Anacostia crossing. You're going to download their collected data from their mapper and bring it back here. No fuss, no muss. Brick will be accompanying you in an advisory capacity. Remember that she's evaluating if you're ready to be sent out as a group to your territory."

"Alright, boys and girls, let's go find us some Muties!" Brick cradled the massive barrel of Eugene as she ushered Delta out of the room. The senior Ranger wasn't carrying a backpack thanks to the obscenely large ammo pack she carried for her monstrous weapon.

"You've got the potentially more difficult task, Echo. Alpha Quad was supposed to scout out and setup a firebase near Friendship station. They're overdue for communication by three days. Your job is to ascertain their situation, render aid if necessary, procure their mapper data, and report back to HQ as soon as possible. Donovan will be accompanying you in an advisory capacity only. Remember that this is an evaluation to see if you're ready to be sent to your territory."

"We won't let you down!" Rachel practically shouted, her husky voice bouncing off the walls oddly, and The Wandered nodded as if he expected nothing less.

For some reason, it was at that moment that Lee realized his life would never be the same again.


	3. III

Wolf sat against the clammy wall of a restroom in the metro station just beneath the exit to Echo's destination. Donovan sat next to her, his assault rifle held in a casual grip, while he had apparently taken the wait as a chance to catch forty winks. Evelyn was nervously tinkering with a broken Power Fist that Lee had brought back to her during one of his scouting forays. Rachel stood sentry by the door with her shotgun resting in the crook of one elbow.

"He's probably fucking dead, Wolf. You should have sent me and I would have cleared the nest up, no problem." Rachel repeated for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Can it, Rachel! Or, so help me God, I'm going to come over there and can it for ya!" Wolf snapped and had to consciously relax her jaw before she cracked a tooth from her incessant grinding.

In truth, Rachel's words had let a tiny worm of doubt gnaw at Wolf's insides. Their trip through the metro tunnels, and briefly aboveground, had been largely uneventful. A few mole-rats, as well as some feral ghouls, had all run away after one glance at the size of their party but they had not encountered any super mutants yet. Rachel would not admit it but the smooth sailing had been almost entirely thanks to Lee. Wolf secretly thought it was for Evelyn's benefit alone.

Wolf had ordered Lee to scout the exit over thirty minutes ago. She didn't like going into a situation without knowing at least a little about what she was getting into. If things had gone well, she had expected him to come back within a few minutes, but it was apparently worse than she had feared on the surface.

"Okay." Wolf clapped her hands together, blinking in the small cloud of dust that arose from her fingerless gloves, and stood. "We'll give him another five minutes and then we'll do it your way, Rachel."

Rachel straightened from her slouch against the doorway and grinned, "About time, Wolf!" She put on one of the most insincere expressions of sorrow Wolf had ever seen. "Poor kid. I hope it wasn't too painful."

"He's not dead!" Evelyn snapped and every head in the room turned at the uncharacteristic outburst. Evelyn looked embarrassed for all of two seconds before grinning like an idiot. "He's behind you."

Wolf turned her head so fast that she felt a sharp twinge in her neck. Rachel actually jumped and spun in the air to land facing an irregular shadow that pulled back its hood to reveal Lee's deadly earnest face.

_I have to give the kid credit. He's been all business since we left headquarters._

"Fuck, you little shit. I could have blew your damn head off!" Rachel spat and sounded like she was about to continue when a glare from Lee's cold eyes stopped her in her tracks.

Lee marched past Rachel and went to one knee at Wolf's feet. He removed the personal light source from his shoulder, shook the small device vigorously for a few seconds to charge the battery, and then began drawing on the ground with a stick of charcoal he carried for just that purpose. He began to talk as he drew.

"Alpha's been ambushed by raiders and are stuck in a building around the corner from the entrance to the station. They're in a bad position. The building must only have the one entrance because they haven't made any move to escape. The raiders have a base camp set up right behind the station entrance. They must have cleared some Muties out because they staked four bodies out front. These bastards like to show how big their cocks are apparently."

Wolf knelt down to better examine the diagram that Lee was drawing. She noticed that Evelyn had come over to join her and Rachel was also coming over.

"No, Rachel. You stay where you are and try to keep a _good_ watch on the door this time." Leslie was a really good sneak but it was embarrassing that Rachel had her back turned to her post. The pale woman growled low in her throat before returning to the doorway.

"There's about eleven raiders, give or take three that I think are away hunting molerat. Right now there are four asleep in the camp. They've posted six around the building to make sure no one tries to escape. And one sentry is on duty at the camp but he's not very good. I can take him out, no problemo."

Wolf nodded slowly, "What kind of weapons do they have?"

"Two assault rifles, three hunting rifles, and one asshole with a pair of ten-milly's that likes to practice his quickdraw with his shadow. Someone almost nailed him from the office building with a hunting rifle while he was doing that." Lee chuckled briefly before his face resumed its serious mien. "The sentry was armed with a combat shotgun but it looked like it might fall apart after two shots. I couldn't get a look at what the sleepers were packing but I doubt they have anything heavier or they wouldn't be waiting for the rest of their group to get back. I think that they're running low on ammo, too. They didn't even bother wasting time with return fire."

"What about Alpha?"

"I climbed some ruins and I think they're all accounted for. But they have to be strapped for ammo. Otherwise they _all_ would have tried to kill that raider."

Wolf nodded and a plan began to formulate out of the intel that her scout had retrieved. She looked at her watch and pursed her lips. "Alright. The sun's coming up in about four hours. We're going to hit them an hour before that happens. Lee's going to go in first and eliminate that sentry. Rachel, you're going to be right on his ass after that and you guys are going to _quietly_ take care of the sleepers. Me and Evelyn are going to play sentry while you guys are doing that. Then we're going to get creative."

* * *

"If he's so great then why doesn't he take care of all of them by himself?" Rachel whispered to Wolf when she followed the older woman into the bathroom a few minutes before they were supposed to start the operation.

Wolf sighed and that immediately made Rachel's hackles rise.

_Who does she think she is? If it weren't for all the guys wanting a piece of her, she probably wouldn't even be team leader!_

That thought was followed by another, less angry, more insidious voice in Rachel's head. _Maybe if you weren't such a whiny bitch, then you might have been made Echo Lead._

"Maybe one of them'll wake up and make some noise. The odds of us getting them all while they're still asleep is better with two than one. After Leslie, you're the best sneak we have, so you've got the job. Are you sure you're up to it?"

Rachel bit her next words out. "Yes, I'm up to it."

"You ever had to kill someone quietly."

_No._

"Of course I have!"

Rachel didn't give Wolf a chance to reply and stormed out of the room. Just outside the doorway, she was brought up short by a quiet cough on her left. Her heart rocketed into her throat but she was proud of the fact that she merely turned her head to face Leslie's shadowed form.

"Did you bring a blade besides the one in your multi-tool?"

Rachel folded her arms beneath her meager cleavage, "No."

In a flurry of movement that was too quick for Rachel to really follow, the kid had produced a short-handled knife from somewhere on his body.

"You can take this unless you got some other way of killing them quiet."

"I don't need your fucking knife, kid!" She spat and made her way to where Donovan stood by the door.

The quiet veteran held out a hand for Rachel's shotgun and assault rifle. She handed them over and noticed that no one had asked for Leslie's weapons for better 'noise discipline'.

_I hate that fucking guy. I'm gonna get a transfer out of this fuckin' team as soon as I can. Evelyn's a stupid little bitch with a crush and Wolf's just a dumb bimbo. With a great rack. Stop it. Don't think like that. Fuck, what's wrong with me!?_

Fingers being snapped in front of Rachel's face brought her out of her self-recrimination. She looked down into Wolf's worried eyes and smirked.

"Just thinking about the raider pussies I'm about to fuck."

_Why did I say that? That was so _stupid_!_

Wolf rolled her eyes and chuckled, "You would say something like that."

Evelyn and Leslie walked up to the little group together. Rachel hated the way the young woman fawned over the other two people in their quad. It was sickening and entirely unjustified in her opinion. Wolf looked over the group, blew out a slow breath, and nodded slightly.

"Let's do it."

Leslie returned Wolf's nod and flowed out of the room like a shadow. Rachel followed a dozen feet behind him and was shocked at how quiet the kid could actually move at the pace he was setting. The group quickly came upon the exit to the surface and found that Leslie had previously greased the gate to prevent it from announcing their presence to the raiders with the usual ear-splitting squeak. His competence simply made her grit her teeth. A small rock fell to the ground less than a minute later and the team sprung into action.

Rachel raced up the steps as quietly as she could, taking two steps in every bound, and turned the corner where Leslie crouched in wait. The air was still pretty chilly and her breath frosted in the night air as she followed Leslie into the raider camp. Thin, sheet metal walls cut off the base from the exterior street and metro entrance. A relatively narrow entry point waited for them but it was entirely unguarded. She didn't even see the sentry anywhere. There were two tents on the left, one larger than the other, with a stinking fire-pit between them. To the right of the entryway were several small tables and what looked like cabinets. She couldn't be sure because that side of the camp was almost pitch black. The bastards were probably using brahmin-pacs for fuel and that explained why the place smelled like grade-A shit.

_You can do it, Rachel. Time to show them all you've got the goods._

The determined young woman eased her way into the first tent and discovered that there were two occupants on either side. Rachel slid over to the man on the right and felt her stomach turn at the sour smell of cheap liquor rolling off of him. Thankfully, he had his head turned at a perfect angle for a one-strike killing blow to the temple. She took several, deep breaths to center herself, cocked her fist back with her fore- and middle knuckles rigid, and struck with all the technique that years of patient tutelage had given her.

Unfortunately, she underestimated the power of her strike and the effect it would have.

There was a loud crack that was immediately followed by the man noisily voiding his bowels. The stench in the tent increased ten-fold and Rachel tensed as the cot behind her creaked.

"Fuck!" A groggy voice croaked. "Tony, you'd better not have shit your- Who the fuck?!"

Rachel turned her head, saw the man rising up from his cot with a hand reaching for the gun he presumably had under his pillow, and reacted instinctively. She hopped backwards and snapped the point of her elbow up into his nose. Her old teacher would have been proud at how perfectly she delivered the blow. The heavily-scarred raider was dead before he stiffened up and crashed back onto the cot. She cursed as even more noise was made and rushed out of the tent.

The provisional Ranger was brought up short by the butt of a hunting rifle to her forehead. A flash of white light blinded her a second before intense pain filled her head. She found herself on her ass and looking up into the thin, angry leather mask of a raider.

"I don't know who you are, you fucking bitch! But I'm gonna show you what we do to killin' little whores like you."

The raider punched her in the jaw, but Rachel had been hit harder by bigger men before and retained consciousness. Her head was still fuzzy from the hit with the rifle and her body wouldn't work right. This raider was obviously operating with half a deck because he dropped his rifle and started pawing at Rachel's armor without even looking around.

Rachel's head was fuzzy but she swore that Leslie just _appeared_ behind the filthy little raider and then they were both gone. The world started speeding up again just as Wolf shined a tiny light into her eyes.

"Fuck! I'm alright. Get that shit out of my face!" She protested and covered her eyes with her hands.

"You might have a mild concussion, Rachel. How's your head? Your eyesight?"

"Fine, fine. I'm good to go." Rachel growled as she fixed Leslie with a heated glare.

The kid was already sliding on a huge canvas-cloak over his armor and an Arclight helmet on his head to impersonate one of the gang.

_Don't make any dumbass comments about how you could have handled it yourself._ Her inner voice scolded her before she could even open her mouth. _This isn't a comic-book. Don't be a stupid cunt._

Wolf helped Rachel to her feet and Donovan handed her weapons back. There were a few moments that she thought she was going to puke her guts out but she swallowed the bile back through sheer force of will. She wordlessly took the BlasterMaster helmet and cloak that Leslie held out to her. The helmet stunk like Hell, the filter had probably fallen apart a hundred years ago, and there were weird brown smears on the _inside_ of the visor.

_Nasty fucks._

Rachel stretched her neck out before sliding the helmet on and nearly gagged as the smell hit her full force. She'd be damned if she would let the others know though and doggedly slid her arms through the holes in the cloak. A few moments later, Rachel had her assault rifle shouldered and her shotgun concealed beneath the cloak.

"You ready?" Leslie asked, his voice muffled by the helmet.

"Are you?" Rachel was sure her voice sounded even stranger.

"Remember. Get some cover and _wait_. Let them come to you." Wolf reminded them of her plan one more time.

Leslie nodded, probably thinking he was being cooler than cool, and walked back down to the stairs to the metro. Rachel followed with a low growl and walked past him when he stopped to wait for her just before stepping out into the street. The two passed an old bus stop and Rachel got her first sight of the building where Alpha team was making its stand. It looked like a conventional bomb had gone off right in the center of it. Just from where she was standing, it appeared as though half of it had fallen apart, and the sun hadn't even fully risen yet. She spotted their intended targets immediately. Three of them were squatting behind the cover offered by a pile of rubble against that corner of the building. Only two of them actually seemed to be keeping watch on opposite sides of the structure. The third clutched a cloak around himself and took several long drags from a cigarette as he watched them approach.

"I hate smokers. I'll get right. You take left. Meet you in the middle." Rachel said in a normal conversational tone. There was no way they could hear her unless they were as close as Lee thanks to the helmet.

"Okay."

Rachel held the front of her cloak closed with one left hand and held her grip in the sweaty palm of her right. Her forehead was pounding to the increasingly wild beating of her heart. When they got within a dozen feet, the smoker hacked up a huge ball of spit and let it fly at their feet.

"Goddamn. I didn't think it was time yet, but I can't wait to get back into the tent and unthaw my balls. I'm going to make those fuckers up there squeal when they pass out! Making me freeze my fucking cock off! I'll warm it up in their asses. Believe that shit." The other two raiders chuckled at their comrade's vulgarity. "Why're you so quiet, Gunthar?"

Rachel threw her cloak wide to the side as she raised her pump-action. Her left hand settled on the pump a split-second before the barrel was pointed directly at the raider on the right's back. She pulled the trigger and the thunderous boom of the shotgun shattered the silence of the night. The upper portion of the raider's cloak spewed forth a small cloud of cloth fibers as the unsuspecting man was propelled off his feet into the clear pathway on the right side of the building. The rookie Ranger did not wait to see him land and was only vaguely aware of Leslie's revolver going off a second before her weapon. Her shotgun's barrel seemed to move in slow-motion as she twisted her hips slightly to bring the last raider into her sights.

The cigarette smoking raider was a fast bastard. He already had both his sidearms in his hands when Leslie fired a single round through his forehead. Rachel's finger was already tensing on the trigger and she could not stop the momentum that led to her firing a blast directly into his bare chest. His head snapped back, gore flew out of the back of his skull, and then Rachel's blast folded him in half as he stumbled back into a piece of exposed rebar. Blood splattered everywhere as the raider messily impaled himself. He didn't move scream though because Leslie's shot had already ended his life.

"Stupid fuck. No wonder you were cold wearing that skimpy ass shit.." Rachel muttered as she switched her shotgun for the assault rifle.

The thrill of a job well done gave Rachel even more confidence as she sighted down the clear pathway while she knelt next to the pile of rubble. She flicked the fire selector to three-round burst and blew out a particularly deep breath.

_Any second now._

The idiots all came charging around the corner together. One of them had an assault rifle and the other two were carrying hunting rifles. All of them opened fire on her shadowed form without even asking if she was one of them. Unfortunately for them, they were all terrible shots and she was certainly not. Three bursts to the center of mass, Leslie had been right about none of the raiders having armor that could stop an assault rifle round, and they were all down for the count. She waited a moment for floating spots of color to fade from her vision thanks to the sparks emitted by her weapon. That was the one crappy thing about using firearms in low-light. They could play enough havoc with your nightvision and hearing that any fool could sneak up behind you with a golfclub.

"I'll make the circuit, if you want to check them?" Leslie asked, as he removed his helmet and cloak.

Rachel took hers off as well and took a deep breath of the relatively clean air, "Yeah, sure."

Leslie raced off up the incline to their left and quickly disappeared from sight. Rachel drew her N99 and approached the raider she had shot in the back. She put her gun to his head and then checked him for a pulse. There was no doubt in her mind that he was dead, the bright red pool of blood beneath the body was proof enough for her, but the rule about making sure your opponent was really dead had been ingrained for most of her life. The other three raiders were also deader than shit thanks to having their chests blown wide open. One of the women's legs had sprawled open and Rachel noted with disgust the gooey substance staining the inside of her thighs.

_Now I know why it took them so long to get over there._

The relatively low-pitched stuttering sound of a pair of submachineguns initially caused Rachel to stand up straight from her kneeling position by the last body. They were immediately followed by a short burst from an R91. Rachel sprinted back down the pathway, but sensibly paused before she came into view of anyone on the main street. Those bursts of gunfire had come from the metro entrance.

"Shit!" Rachel exclaimed as Leslie jumped into view and took off toward the metro as though a pack of super mutants were on his tail.

By the time she caught up with the shorter man, it was all over.

Evelyn was puking her guts out in the middle of the street while Leslie patted her back comfortingly. Donovan and Wolf were nowhere to be found. She spotted them at the bottom of the stairs as they checked on a trio of bullet-riddled bodies.

"It was them or you, Evie." Nathan tried to coddle the girl, like always, and it made Rachel furious.

"Suck it up, you fucking sissy! You're a merc now! What'd you think? It'd be all fucking and sucking?"

Leslie stood up quickly and got right up in Rachel's face. She looked down slightly into his cold, dead eyes and locked her legs to stop them from trembling. There was no way in Hell she would ever admit it, but Leslie could be a scary fucker when he wanted to be.

"It's alright, Lee." Evelyn said weakly, putting a hand on his arm. "She's right, even if she could be a little less bitchy."

"If you three are done, can we go check on Alpha?" Wolf said, as she reloaded her MP5 with a fresh magazine.

Leslie sneered at Rachel before replying, "Yes, ma'am."

* * *

Alpha quad was _extremely_ glad to see them.

Lee had already figured out that the only real way into the interior of the building was to climb the mound of rubble that was just visible from the metro entrance. Wolf had loudly announced their squad designation and a wild-eyed, dirty-blonde head had peaked out from the windowsill at the top of the mound. Several minutes later, the entirety of Echo was inside the confines of the partially destroyed office building and each was greeted with a wide grin by the cadaverously thin sentry.

The interior of the building was mostly hollow but this corner had retained enough structural support to maintain several partial floors and a stairway up to a tiny section of intact roof. Adam Goldstein, the visibly relieved sentry, led them down a level to a larger section of intact floor space. He cradled his hunting rifle as though it were a long-lost lover and Lee couldn't blame him. Lee had been the mouse in a trap more than once in his life and your weapons could take on an almost human quality the longer you depended on them for your life.

Two of the members of Alpha quad were obviously injured. The dark-haired man had a huge bandage wrapped around his torso while the light brown Mohawk-sporting woman had a bandage around her thigh. Both of them were awake and had N99's in hand as Echo quad came down the stairs. When they saw Donovan, they both started laughing wildly.

"Shit. Lee, Rachel, you two keep watch." Wolf barked and Rachel scowled at the shorter woman before turning back around.

Lee nodded at Wolf and received a small nod in return before he headed back upstairs. He passed the floor where Rachel was setting up with her R91 and headed to the roof. There was really no kind of low wall encircling the roof so he was free to slide to his belly and rest the barrel of his rifle on the edge of the roof. The sun was just starting to appear over the horizon and he was thankful for that. It would probably get hotter than Hell on the roof in a few hours and then he'd be forced to lower his hood. He knew from experience that, at a distance, he would look like a tiny patch of rubble with some rebar sticking out of it. Pulling back his hood would give him a clear outline and draw immediate attention.

_Don't have to worry about that now. Just focus._

Sometime later, Lee heard someone coming up the ladder and turned his head to see Evelyn lugging some kind of dish, a fission battery, and a number of parts that he had no idea about.

"Hey, Evie." He greeted her as he was turning back to scan the street below for movement.

"Hey, Lee." Evelyn's voice was uncharacteristically serious.

_She's probably still feeling weird about killing someone. Better distract her._

"So, what's going on now?"

The sounds of machinery being inspected and assembled reached his ears as she began to speak. "Nails, Alpha One, almost pissed himself in relief when he came up from the bottom floor. He says they were almost out of ammo _before_ the raiders showed up. Apparently, they're the ones that killed those Muties. Then the raiders came along and overwhelmed them. They barely made it back here and even then it was close because Brian caught a sledgehammer to the ribs and Val caught a .32 slug to the thigh."

"That's some bad luck."

"Yeah." Rachel snorted. "They still managed to wing a couple of those raiders though. Problem was, they didn't have much food or water. Val, she's their medic, says they're all suffering from moderate dehyrdration, exposure and sleep deprivation. And they probably wouldn't have lasted more than a day or two more."

"What's sleep deprivation?" Leslie asked, aiming at a blur of movement in the corner of his left eye. Fortunately it was only a piece of litter fluttering in a sudden gust of rapidly warming wind.

"I think it's when you don't sleep for a long, _long_ time and you start acting dumb."

"What's going on now?"

"Well, I'm supposed to set this relay dish up and get in contact with HQ. Wolf's down there getting them to hydrate and making sure they don't make themselves sick with food. I think Wolf wants us to scavenge some food from the raiders camp later."

"I am pretty damn hungry, bonita."

Evelyn silently worked at her task for a few minutes before quietly asking, "Do you think I'm a pussy?"

Evelyn almost never used swear words and the fact that she did with him gave Leslie an almost instantaneous, painful erection. He couldn't let his physical reactions dictate his response though.

"Hell no. Don't listen to Rachel's shit. I'm sure she cried like a baby the first time she had to do somebody."

"I didn't even give them a chance. I heard the gate creak open and I turned around and started firing as soon as I saw their clothes." Evelyn sniffed and Lee respected her privacy by not turning around to watch her cry. "What kind of person does that make me?"

"Alive. That's what matters. You didn't do anything wrong. Trust me."

"Thanks, Lee." Evelyn laughed shakily. "I don't know what I'd do without you knocking sense into my head."

"No worries, Evie. You fix my armor and guns for me. It's more than fair."

Donovan's voice came from the stairwell, "Is that relay hooked up yet, Evelyn?"

"It is as of... now!" Her voice had regained some of its former cheer and that put a smile on Lee's face.

The sound of harsh static came from behind him and then a weird, high-pitched whine was mixed in. Finally, the noise died down and Donovan began to speak. Lee, unable to restrain his curiosity, turned and saw Donovan sporting some kind of huge earmuffs and holding a black oval in his hand that was connected to a square piece of equipment sitting in his lap.

"This is Donovan calling HQ. Over." There was a pause of several second before Donovan spoke again. "That's right, HQ. Mission is a success. Alpha Quad present and accounted for. Alpha sustained two moderate injuries but are still operational. Echo Quad performed above expectations. Recommend immediate upgrade to fully operational status. Over." Leslie turned back to his rifle after Donovan raised an eyebrow in his direction. "Roger that, HQ. Will check-in every eight hours. Over and out."

"So, we're in... officially?" Evelyn asked, barely contained excitement made her voice quiver.

"Yeah. You're official now. You'll be on the payroll in a few minutes."

"Yes!" There was a muffled grunt and Lee just knew that Evelyn had latched onto Donovan's waist. "We're _official _Rangers, Lee!"

"It's good being official." Lee said with a grin.

"Hey, official Ranger." Rachel's voice, sounding almost cheerful for once, came from the stairwell. "Wolf wants me, you, and that Goldstein guy to go down to the raider camp and scavenge."

"Rachel! What the Hell's that on your head!?" Evelyn exclaimed and, once again, Lee couldn't resist turning around.

Rachel's hair was pulled back by an elastic band of some kind and her entire forehead was covered in some kind of glistening, electric-blue goop.

"It's to keep the swelling down!" Rachel replied indignantly.

"Wow. You look ridiculous."

"Fuck you, _Leslie_." Rachel said and accompanied it with a middle finger.

Lee just stuck his tongue out and resumed scanning the street.


	4. IV

Adam Goldstein was one of the most talkative human beings that Leslie had met in his entire life and the newly minted Ranger had traveled farther than just about everybody he had thus far talked to in the mercenary outfit. Donovan had decided to send them to out to finish mapping the area they were in for the standard square mile, as best they could barring the haphazardly demolished city landscape, since it appeared that the immediate area had been contested between the small group of raiders and the super mutants. It hadn't been so bad, at first, they had mostly scouted outside of casual speaking distance. When they stopped for a break though, Adam had started talking, and then followed Leslie at a distance he felt was close enough to continue talking. He had just finished telling Lee about how he had grown up in a town called Arefu and had not been back in almost ten years. Now he was on the topic of his quad.

"Nails is the best. If it wasn't for him, those raiders would have got us for sure!" Adam chuckled and admitted in an embarrassed voice. "I thought I had pissed myself when Val caught that slug in the leg while she was taping up Brian's ribs, but Nails just turned around and shot back like it was all a part of the plan. Between me and him, we got the others back to the firebase, but if it wasn't for him, we totally would have bought it."

The two scouts were making their way back to the firebase via the road that led past the metro station so Leslie didn't remind the talkative Ranger that they should stay alert. Instead he just grunted in acknowledgment and kept walking.

"Val and Brian are good guys to have on the team but they definitely aren't lookers!" This time it was a nervous laugh. "Do you know how lucky you are, Lee?! What I wouldn't give to be on a quad with three gorgeous babes! Are any of them taken?"

Now Lee did stop and turn to stare at Adam in disbelief. Echo had been at the firebase for three days now and were supposed to remain there until Alpha got back up to speed. It was amazing that Adam had been in close proximity to all three women in Echo quad and not even inquired.

"You haven't asked any of them yourself?"

Adam spluttered, "Hey, shit, man. Can you blame me? That Rachel chick is cold as ice and my balls disappear whenever I even _think_ about saying 'Hi' to her. I mean, she's hot and those legs... Jesus, they go on forever, but I've met whores that were warmer than she is."

Lee had to give that to the man.

"Don't even get me started on your quad leader. I start out well enough, but after, 'Hey, Wolf...' I can't stop staring at her fucking tits! Then she gets as icy as Rachel with me and it's all she wrote. Man, what I wouldn't give to put my head between those fun-bags and motorboat until I passed out! Not to mention titty-fuc-"

"Hey!" Lee turned around, saw that Adam was almost directly behind him, and grabbed his fellow scout by the collar of his armor. "Those are my quad mates you're talking about. I let the tit comment go, but don't be talking to me about your fantasizing, comprende?"

"Yeah, I gotcha, shit."

It only took a minute after Lee released him that Adam continued as though nothing had happened.

"Yeah, but Evelyn is probably the one I get the biggest... uh... reaction to. She's all sweet and fun and stuff. But when I start laying on the charm, she gets shy and starts talking in real short sentences. Plus, she totally has a thing for you. Are you and her... you know."

Lee shook his head, "No. I don't think it's a good idea to mess around with people in your quad. I've seen that kind of thing in small, mixed groups of mercs and it never ends well."

"Well, you got any advice then?"

Lee shrugged, "Why does everyone think I know anything about women?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Adam exclaimed and this time seemed to be aware that he was shouting out in the open without any sort of cover. This time he lowered his voice back to a casual tone. "You're serious, aren't you? Shit, I hate you even more now. I've never seen anybody as good as you at getting girls wet in the panties, man. Eve practically slides out of her pants when you walk into a room. And Wolf, for all she tries to act slick, totally glazes over when she's talking to you and you look at her eyes instead of her boobs. Even Val, who I always thought liked girls more than boys, looked at you like she wanted ta suck your cock off after you talked to her for more than a few minutes." Lee turned around with a frown and Adam raised his hands. "Hey, Val's on my quad. I can say what I want."

"I can see what you're saying about Evie. That's a problem and I'm going to have to deal with it sooner or later. But the rest of it, I think you're just seeing things."

"We're scouts. Attention to detail is our bread-and-butter, man! I know what I'm talking about. So, think about it. What's your secret?"

Lee rubbed his chin before shrugging once again, "I don't have any secret. I try to treat everyone with respect and just be myself around them. I don't really meet a girl and immediately think about how I can get her in bed. I've never really been that way."

"Oh, man!" Adam's eyes widened. "You're a virgin, aren't you?"

Lee chuckled, "Not quite. I was in Megaton about a year ago and Jericho owed me one and paid for me to visit the only whore they had in the town. I _was_ curious and it was a good time but visiting a whore doesn't exactly count as _trying_ to charm your way into a woman's good graces. Ya see what I mean?"

Adam nodded and ran a hand through his dirty-blonde hair. "So there's no luck for me other than visiting Rivet City and paying a whore?"

"No, amigo. All I'm saying is that you shouldn't try so hard. If all you want is sex, be upfront about it. You'd be surprised at how often women, especially since there are just as many tiny settlements as hard up for men as there are those that are hard-up for women, will totally say yes. Even if it's just so they can get pregnant and keep their communities growing. If you're looking for a girl to settle down with, I'd advise against it until you're about to retire. Think about how fucked up it would be if you buy it and leave a wife and some kids that are depending on you for support all alone?"

It was a wonder, but that actually made Adam shut up for the rest of the trip back to the firebase.

* * *

Lee's peace did not last as long as he would have liked. It felt like he had only been asleep for a few minutes when loud moans started coming from the bottom floor.

"What's goin' on?" Lee asked and was surprised when Wolf coughed vigorously for a few seconds before answering.

"You won't believe it if I tell you."

The barracks were dark, not pitch-black thanks to a small lamp in the corner, but Leslie could clearly see that Val and Brian were out like lights thanks to their nightly dose of Med-X to take the edge off their injuries and let them sleep. Donovan, Evelyn, and Nails were on watch right now. Rachel and Adam were supposed to be sleeping as well but there was no sign of them.

"Oh, that's right! Fuck me hard, you motherfucker!"

Lee's eyes bulged out of his head, "Was that Rachel?"

Wolf laughed from across the room, "That Adam guy started talking to her and she started being a bitch and then he just says, 'Look, I just wanna fuck you, you fucking bitch, not fucking marry you.' And then Rachel just grins and drags him downstairs. I would never have believed it if I hadn't seen it."

_Wow. I guess my advice worked... but on _Rachel_._

"Oh, yeah, make me your fucking bitch! Treat me like a whore!"

"Well, she's always Rachel, no matter the situation. Night, again, Wolf."

"G-goodnight, Lee."

Unfortunately, thanks to the moans issuing from both parties below him, Lee couldn't immediately get back to sleep. Sometimes the couple was very quiet and then he became aware of a very faint, liquid noise coming from Wolf's direction. His sensitive ears then picked up the sound of Wolf's heavy breathing and his eyes bulged out of his head again.

_Don't do it. Don't you dare ask it!_ He thought to himself as his penis sprang to frenzied life in his shorts.

"Wolf, are you touching yourself?" Lee whispered and resisting the urge to slap himself in the forehead.

The breathing and the liquid noise came to a stop just as frenzied grunting erupted below them. For a moment, Lee thought she was going to pretend to be asleep, and actually hoped she would. He was still internally berating himself for not being able to resist asking that question.

"Yes."

If his penis has been erect before, it was positively vibrating now. Lee, never one to be a hypocrite, took his own advice and said the first thing that came to him to say.

"You don't have to stop if you don't want to. I won't tell."

There were a few more moments of silence before the noises coming from Wolf started again. Leslie closed his eyes and tried to imagine anything other than what his quad leader looked like as she got herself off. Of course, because he was trying _not_ to, his mind choose to fixate on that very thing.

"You can, too. If you want to. I won't say anything." Wolf's voice carried clear across the room and the next thing she said almost made his heart stop. "If you want, I can... I can..."

"No, it's a bad idea. Don't mind me. Just finish and go to sleep, okay." He tried not to sound gruff but he couldn't help it.

"Yeah. You're right." Wolf actually sounded a little bitter and Lee realized that Adam was probably right. "You like listening to me, don't you?"

_Fuck yes._

Lee grunted in reply and, for some reason, that caused Wolf to grunt in a _very_ different manner.

* * *

Wolf avoided Lee for most of their watch by ordering him to take the roof while she watched the floor below him. She wouldn't even meet his eyes and Lee honestly couldn't blame her. The woman was gorgeous but she seemed to be very uncomfortable with that fact. Rachel, on the other hand, was brimming with pride after her sexual frenzy. Lee had thought sex was supposed to be relaxing but the woman was just as prickly as ever. The only difference was that her hateful tirades took a dip into the lewd after her romp with Adam.

Lee, Adam, and Evelyn were on the second-level now as Lee showed them how to play dice with his ancient, metal pair.

"Seven! First try! Good job, bonita!" Lee grinned and gave the short girl a one-armed hug.

"Hey, Lee." Adam said, frowning as Evelyn snatched up the three caps that had been playing for. "Why the Hell is Rachel so pale? I mean, I've seen people with pale bodies because they're always covered up, but even her _face_ is pale. It's weird!"

Evelyn giggled and a subtle blush flourished on her olive skin, "You ask that _after_ what happened last night?"

Adam grinned widely, "You've seen her legs! A guy'll look the other way about a lot of things for legs like that!"

"You're a weird guy yourself, Adam. I think you might want to ask Wolf about it. Maybe she knows?"

"I don't know, Lee. Some people just don't tan. But I've never seen anybody that didn't burn _and_ didn't tan and still be so white. It's weird." Wolf's voice came from the stairs and all three turned to see her outfitted in full battle kit. "Get your things together, Lee, Eve. We just got new orders and we're moving out in fifteen. Meet down in the basement so we can restock on ammo."

Lee nodded and quickly gathered his dice to stash them in their pouch on his knife belt. He helped Evelyn to her feet and they both quickly went down to the basement. The majority of their gear was being stored there and they quickly suited up in their Battle Armor. Lee made sure that all four of the bolts for his hunting rifle were full before he did the same for his .44 speed-loaders. He had never fired a shot from his rifle and they had found no additional ammo for his Telly, so there was no ammo for him to restock.

Wolf's eyes were locked on him, he could feel a peculiar warmth emanating from her amber orbs, before she turned away the instant he glanced in her direction. He watched as Evelyn and Rachel took just enough ammo to replace that which they had expended during the gunfight to free Alpha quad. There was no chance to increase Echo's ammo supply because Alpha needed it much worse than they did.

"Okay." Wolf began an impromptu briefing. "Here's the deal. We've been ordered to return to HQ to drop off Alpha's mapper data. We'll bunk there for the night to resupply and get paid. Then we'll be off to Megaton. Apparently, we've proven ourselves enough that they're not waiting to make us entirely independent. You all know what that means, so let's not fuck this up, okay? Let's go say our goodbyes."

The whole of Alpha quad, as well as Donovan, was there to say their goodbyes. Alpha quad was a very touchy-feely group and everyone wanted to give them hugs. Adam took the opportunity to give Rachel's ass one last squeeze and she returned the favor. Val's hug felt decidedly more than friendly and Lee didn't miss the irritated grunt Evelyn issued while it was occurring. Donovan whispered some last minute advice to Wolf, at least Lee assumed it was so, before Echo quad started the trek back to Ranger HQ.

* * *

Lee was maybe a couple hundred feet ahead of the group and he could hear Rachel as plain as day. The galling part was that she was playing tail-end Charlie so the distance was even greater. Of course, the tunnels echoed weirdly sometimes, but that was no excuse for poor sound discipline.

"I'm telling you, Evie," Rachel calling Evelyn by his nickname for the petite girl irked Leslie, "-if you want to get fucked, try that Adam guy next time we see him. His cock his huge for such a little guy and he knows what he's doing. Plus, Wolf vouched for him being clean as a whistle, so you don't have to worry about gross shit leaking out of your puss!"

"Ugh! That's nasty, Rachel!" Evelyn whispered and that carried to Leslie as well, but the scout was more forgiving of his favorite gear-head.

"Nasty!" Rachel guffawed. "You don't know nasty. I once saw this guy's pecker after he went to visit some whore-bar near The Pitt and it looked like a purple brahmin sausage!"

The muffled scuff of a bare foot on rock had Lee dropping to one knee in an instant. He focused on listening to his surroundings and actively tried to let Rachel's words fade into the background. This part of the tunnel was perfect for an ambush. They had just passed a partially collapsed section and an old metro train was stopped about twenty feet in front of Lee. There were no other exits or alcoves to take cover in.

_But that sounded like a bare foot. The only people crazy enough to run around down here with bare feet are super mutants and feral ghouls and that footstep was too light to have been a Mutie._

It was the tell-tale green glow that gave it away a moment before the first feral ghoul came charging out of the shadows cast by the train.

"Glowing One!" Lee bellowed, raising his hunting rifle to his eye with professional calm.

The first shot hit the ghoul high in the nasal cavity. A .32 round generally didn't have enough power for complete, through-and-through penetration of the skull even at these relatively close ranges but it was enough to scramble the ghoul's brains.

"Ghouls behind!" Rachel shouted as Lee turned to race back to where the three women had knelt to cover both ends of the tunnel.

Wolf was kneeling facing Lee and waved him forward a second before she raised her SMG. Leslie skidded to the ground at the beautiful woman's side and twisted to face the opposite direction. A pair of ghouls were charging towards their position. The harsh clatter of Rachel's assault rifle sounded like thunder in the enclosed space as she opened up at the ghouls behind them. Lee worked the bolt, aimed, fired, and did so again so fast that he knew it looked like a blue of motion. Unfortunately, he only clipped the ghoul on the left in the side of the head, and it kept coming. A short burst from Wolf's weapon absolutely pulped the ghoul's head. It stumbled forward for a few more feet before rolling into a lifeless heap almost on top of them.

Lee's eyes widened as a Glowing One emerged from beside the train tracks. He knew it was only his imagination, but his skin instantly tingled as the massively irradiated ghoul emerged.

"Rachel." Wolf's voice was very calm. "Hand Evelyn a grenade, 'cause I need it. Now!"

Wolf held out her hand and at least five more ghouls began running towards the sight of their stand. Lee fired twice more before Wolf had pulled the pin and rolled the grenade.

"Frag out!"

Lee let his hunting rifle dangle from the strap as he drew his Telly with one hand while shielding his eyes from the potentially blinding flash of the grenade. He remembered to open his mouth so that the over-pressure wouldn't damage something in his head and the grenade went off with a seemingly monstrous blast. Lee looked up before the faint ringing in his ears, earplugs were truly a gift from God, had faded. The Glowing One was in several quickly fading chunks and three ghouls had horribly shredded legs. Wolf calmly stood, drew her N99, and put bullets in the brains of all three from a safe distance.

"All clear behind!" Rachel called and whistled as she came to stand beside Lee. "You really fucked 'em up, boss."

"What happened, Lee?" Wolf asked quietly as she threaded spare rounds into the clip.

Leslie took the opportunity to change the bolt in his rifle as he tried to come up with an answer that wasn't placing the blame.

"I was paying too much attention to what Rachel was saying and not on my job."

Rachel laughed derisively, "Rookie mistake."

"Maybe it was, Rachel. But if you're so experienced, why were you chatting it up like some stupid slut? It happens again while we're out in the field and I'm docking you fifty caps. Understand?"

"Yeah, boss, I gotcha."

"Leslie." Lee perked up and found that Wolf was looking him square in the eye. Unfortunately, she was not happy at all. "Take point and you'd better stay alert this time."

"Yes, ma'am."


	5. V

Lee plunged his foul-smelling, stiff underwear into the murky water for the tenth time with a weary sigh. He sprinkled a little Abraxo cleaner across the bundle and scrubbed it vigorously against the washing board before dunking it into the small tin tub again. It was becoming increasingly clear to him that life as a Ranger was going to be fairly exhausting for the next few weeks.

Echo quad had barely passed the first checkpoint coming out of the metro station before Nathan was bounding toward them up the street. He greeted them all with a lazy salute and guided Wolf away to speak to her in private. The trio had waited while the pair conferred and, a short time later, Wolf returned to tell them to clean their gear, prep their equipment, and then come to see her before they went to bed so they could be briefed on the machinery they would be lugging all the way to Megaton. Lee's back had begun twinging at the thought of it but he had dutifully nodded and made his way back to HQ to begin.

Evelyn, not that it was very shocking, had decided that she would go about her duties in the same order as Lee. Rachel had thankfully chosen to wash her soiled clothing before seeing to her equipment and that left the two of them alone in the cleared area behind the mess hall. They had only just begun and Lee was already feeling boredom generated exhaustion creeping up on him. Then, to his astonishment, Evie began to sing of all things. The most surprising part was that it was in a language he had never heard before. Of course, he only knew English and enough Spanish to carry on a light conversation with people from the Far South. It was an energetic, fun tune, even if she paused as though listening to music in her head, and she seemed to have an endless store of them.

Finally, they were done and Leslie lay his clothing next to Evie's on the extremely hot, flat stones behind HQ for that had been set-up for just that purpose.

"What was that you were singing, bonita?" Lee asked, smiling down at Evelyn's embarrassed grin.

"I didn't think I was singing that loud!" Evie covered her cheeks as Leslie held the newly installed heavy wooden door open for her.

"Ah, don't worry, Evie. You weren't. I just have really good ears for someone that's had guns going off close to his head for so long."

The mess hall was empty when they entered and Leslie heard water running through the pipes from the shower area upstairs. Evelyn laughed and looked at the ceiling.

"Rachel prolly wants to finish before us. It cracks me up the way she's so competitive. I thought _my_ sisters were bad."

"Yeah."

The two made themselves a quick meal of warm mole-rat stew and flaky bread that was probably riddled with weevils.

_Oh, well._ Leslie thought as he frowned at the flecks in the crust. _That's just more protein._

"So," Lee said with a contented sigh as he finished the last of his bowl, "You never answered my question about your songs?"

"Did you like them?" Evie asked, ducking her head.

"Yes."

The shy, olive-skinned girl grinned hugely and looked up when she answered, "My mother sang those songs to us when we were kids. My grandmother's side of the family was full-blooded Greek so I guess that's where the songs come from. I know what some of them mean but some of them I have no idea. Neither did mom."

Evelyn's eyes started tearing up and Nathan stretched a hand out to rest on her forearm from across the table.

"You don't have to talk about it if it upsets you."

"No, it's okay." The young Ranger wiped her eyes in exasperation before she continued. "So, yeah. That's what it is. Greek folk songs."

"Where's this... Greece?"

Evelyn gave him a funny look, "It was a country in Europe before The War."

"Okay." Lee grinned sheepishly. "What's Europe?"

Evelyn laughed, "You're joking!"

Lee scratched the back of his head, "No, I'm not."

"Oh. Okay. Well, this used to be America but it's on a _continent_ that was called North America before The War. Europe is a relatively small continent across the Atlantic Ocean."

Lee laughed, "Well, at least I knew that one."

"It's just _weird_. You can do all these things. Hunting, tracking, fighting, but you don't know what Europe is."

Lee's laughter died slowly, "Yeah. My parents weren't what you'd call 'learned' people. They worked with their hands and were proud of it. I'm just glad they taught me how to read enough that I can get by before they were killed."

Evelyn covered her mouth and a few tears did slip down her face, "Oh, I'm sorry, Lee! I wasn't trying to call you dumb or anything. Everyone that grew up in The Facility went to school. It's still a little strange that you guys don't have some kind of education system up here. Hell, I would trade all the useless crap I have in my head just for knowing how to butcher a mole rat for meat."

"It's okay, Evie. I'm not mad or anything. It's just _hard_, you know, remembering that kind of bad shit."

"Yeah, I know." The shy girl was quiet for a moment before she suddenly smiled. Then that smile faded into a tiny, mischievous grin. She leaned over the table and gestured for him to come closer. He did so and she whispered in a laughing voice. "Do you want me to show you a dance that you can do to some of those songs?"

Leslie licked his lips at the feel of her warm breath on his skin and nodded despite himself. He knew it was a bad idea but his body oriented itself so that he was facing away from the table as Evelyn twirled around to stand before him.

"Now, just remember, usually I'd have music and someone else singing and a scarf, and maybe a dress."

Evie's nervous chatter helped Lee to relax as he replied, "That's okay, Evie. I'm sure it'll be good."

Then Evelyn started moving and Lee could only think two words repeatedly.

_Holy shit._

Evelyn quickly tied her sleveless undershirt into a tight knot to reveal a smooth belly that was nearly the exact shade of her face and rolled the waist of her loose canvas pants down to reveal a scandalous amount of her lower abdomen. Once her hips began moving, Lee's manhood began to stir, but his mind was entranced from the first few undulations. She spun around to present him with a few of her beautifully-shaped backside and bowed backwards far enough to look him in the eye while she moved her arms in serpentine patterns. Evelyn straightened and did a few more moves that had Leslie's head spinning before she slid a knee between his legs. Her arms were on his shoulders before he knew what was happening. By sheer force of will he had never known he possessed, his hands remained on his knees as sweet, innocent Evie began undulating her hips, pelvis, and abdomen maybe an inch from his skin. When she turned around to twine her arms around his neck, Leslie lost the fight, and his hands planted themselves on her slowly writhing hips.

Leslie didn't know who did it, but suddenly her ass was firmly pressing into his crotch as she ground against him. Once Evie began to whimper, Leslie finally came to his senses and firmly pushed her off his lap.

"Wow. That was something." Leslie said as she stepped away and turned back around to face him.

_Talk about an understatement._

Evelyn's eyes seemed far too bright and wide as she took a step closer to him, "Did you really like it?" Her voice had even dropped into a lower range as she seemed to gaze right through his skin. "Really?"

"Si, bonita."

Someone cleared their throat from the front entrance to the mess hall and Leslie turned to find Wolf watching them with a slightly furrowed brow.

"I hate to break up the party, but if you guys are ready, I'd like to get the briefing out of the way so we can all get some sleep before we move out tonight."

"Yes, ma'am!" The pair exclaimed as though they were two teenagers that had been caught by their mother.

* * *

After a night filled with sinful dreams of Evelyn's hips, Leslie found that she could barely bring herself to look him in the eye. Wolf was better about not turning away in embarrassment but now she looked at him funny. As baffling as it was, Rachel was the only one who was acting like her normal, hateful self. The quad had suited up and, unfortunately, the only sounds were those of Rachel's bitching. This time, she was responsible for the bulk of the communication gear they were supposed to be carrying. Their departure was met with far less fanfare this time. Reilly stood at the entrance and shook each other their hands as they left.

Their next mission had multiple parts to it. The first objective was to rendezvous with an agent of the mysterious 'Mapper', as they were calling him, and turn in the collected mapper data. Delta quad was supposed to meet up with them in Rivet City to take the majority of the caps back to HQ. Two thousand of those caps had been allocated to help Echo get the Southwestern Hub set up. Rachel had mumbled to herself at the meeting about the measly 40 caps that each of them had been paid and Leslie had kept it to himself. Bitching about pay was a nearly universal attribute of the mercenary.

The second objective was to convert the house that the Sheriff of Megaton had gifted Nathan with so many months ago. It was going to be The Ranger's Hub for activity in that section of the Capital Waste and Reilly wanted it fully stocked with supplies as soon as possible. Lee didn't like the fact that Nathan hadn't been back in months and had no idea what the town was like. The scout thought that the town was largely the same but he never spent more than a night in the common house before moving on, so intel was really spotty.

Their third objective was to somehow get approval to mount a homemade, crappy-looking radio dish on top of the watchtower in Megaton. Lee had a good enough relationship with Sheriff Simms that he thought he could convince the man that it would be a good thing for the town.

It was the fourth and final objective that seemed impossible. Somehow they were supposed to convince Moriarty to cut Gob loose and then escort the ghoul back to Underworld. Carol was supposedly going to pay two thousand for the job. Half up front and the other upon delivery. Where she got the money from, no one even wanted to think about. Moriarty was one of the most egotistical bastards Lee had ever met but he was smart and quick with his damn sawed-off. Completing that objective was probably going to literally make Rachel go ballistic.

"What I don't get is why the last 'objective' is last if we have to take a trip to zombie central _first_?"

Leslie shook his head as Wolf turned to glare at Rachel. They stood in the foyer before the entrance to Underworld so they were technically in friendly territory. The too-innocent look on Rachel's face told him that the tall woman was fully aware of that fact.

"Because we don't _have_ to get the advance to get the job done. We could have just got the whole thing when we brought Gob back but we need the caps. You get it now?" Wolf growled in a similar manner to her namesake.

Rachel nodded with a smirk and started towards the entrance.

"Rachel!" Lee called to halt her. "Don't call them zombies. They really hate that."

Rachel rolled her eyes and proceeded to the doors. She grabbed one and, in an impressive show of strength, pulled it smoothly back. She was met with the tip of a flamethrower an inch from her face.

"Shit." She whispered as the Mr. Gutsy backed her away from the door.

"Identify yourself!" Cerberus barked, its plasma gun pointed directly at Wolf as she shifted her grip on her submachinegun.

"Hey, Cerb!" Lee said, with a cheerful grin. "They're with me!"

"Ah, registered guest Leslie Tanner!" Cerberus lowered his weapon-tipped appendages. "If you vouch for them then I will register them in my logs. One at a time, citizens."

"Just give him your name, occupation, and whatever town or group that claims you." Lee said as he was met with three blank looks.

They were all registered shortly and Cerberus let them pass into the interior of Underworld. Winthrop was there, Cerberus had probably alerted him that there were unregistered humans trying to enter Underworld, and he lowered a 10mm pistol when he saw Leslie's face.

"Hey, kid! Long time, no see!" Winthrop grinned and clapped Lee on the shoulder several times before looking over his shoulder. He leaned in to whisper, "Who're the dames, kid? _Hol-ee_ shit."

"I'm a Ranger now, Winnie. See." Lee pointed at the Ranger's logo on his armor with a proud grin. "This is my quad. The tall one's Rachel, the short one's Evelyn, and the one with the cross on her helmet is called Wolf."

"Hello, ladies. My name is Winthrop." He went to take Rachel's hand but the hostile woman snatched her hand away and sneered.

"Don't mind her, Winthrop." Wolf said, holding out her hand for the ghoul to take. She didn't even flinch when he pressed his lips to the back of her hand. "She was born with ninety-nine percent bitch DNA.

_What a damn lothario._

It was Evelyn's reaction that surprised Lee the most. She let him take her hand but she winced when he brought it to his chapped lips despite the fingerless glove she was wearing. If Winthrop noticed, he gave no indication.

"Tulip!" The ghoul bellowed, "Come see who came to pay us a visit!"

Tulip emerged from the door to her shop with what Leslie assumed was a puzzled expression. Her eyes lit up and her lips stretched in an ecstatic grin when she caught sight of Leslie.

"Lee!" She practically shrieked, ran across the floor, and leapt into his arms.

Lee thought she was surprised as he was when the ghoul-woman planted a firm kiss right on his lips. He was again struck by how weird ghoul flesh tasted but he returned the pressure gladly enough. Ghouls weren't exactly attractive to him sexually but he really liked Tulip so he could make an allowance.

"Hey, kid! Are you _trying_ to steal my girl!?"

"Hey, I didn't use any tongue, and I can't help it if I'm irresistible! Plus, you thought I was getting it on with the chicas there, and then you started hitting on them! Payback's a Rachel, as they say!" Lee put Tulip down and turned to find all three of his companions giving him the strangest looks.

An hour later, after Lee had visited with his ghoul friends and they had a meeting with an emotional Carol, Echo quad was on its way to Rivet City. Lee could feel all three of his companions giving him looks when they thought he wasn't looking. Finally, Evelyn flinched when he reached out to help her over some debris, and it was the final straw. He guided them into an alcove off the main metro line for a quick chat.

"Okay. What's wrong with you three? You've all been quiet and looking at me funny since Underworld."

All three of them looked uncomfortable until Wolf finally spoke up.

"Well, you were just so, uh, _familiar_ with those ghouls. Especially the women."

Lee scratched beneath his headwrap, "I'm friendly to everyone."

"I think what she means is that you didn't hesitate when you were kissing on that Tulip ghoul." Rachel said, her tone carried her distaste very clearly.

"And then you were letting Greta and Carol cry all over you-" Evelyn chimed in with her eyes downcast. "-like they were-"

Wolf grabbed Evie's arm and shook her head. It was then that Leslie knew they had probably been talking about it while he was scouting their trail and that pissed him off.

"Like they were what, Evelyn?" He asked, his brow furrowed as he looked at each of them in the dim light. "Real women? Because, you know, last I checked they had all the right parts for it."

Each of them made the most horrible face when he said that and he let all the emotion drain from his face.

"I didn't mean I checked to make sure they had girl parts, but that doesn't matter. They can't help what they look like but they can help how they act. They treated me better than most _humans_ would and that's good enough for me. Do I have the hots for any of them? Not at the moment, but I'm not so much of a pig-headed asshole that I would say it'll never happen. If it makes all of you so uncomfortable to have a _ghoul-lover_ in your quad then as soon as this mission's over, I'll request a transfer." Lee pulled his hood over his head. "Let's go. We've wasted enough time."

Evelyn reached out to touch his arm, "Oh, Lee, don't-"

Lee shook her off, "Don't touch me. You might get some kind of ghoul disease."

With that said, Lee focused his mind on scouting the trail ahead, and set off at a quick jog despite the soft sounds of Evelyn's sobs.


	6. VI

Echo Quad made good time to Rivet City and, unfortunately for Leslie, they didn't encounter anything he could vent his frustration with his quadmates on. Nothing had moved into the various pockets of raiders and subterranean dwellers that Leslie now knew The Lone Wanderer had disposed of on his rampage through the D.C. interior. They were supposed to meet their contact and Delta in Rivet City at noon. Wolf's watch, Leslie still had trouble believing the tiny device could tell him what time it was down to the second, gave them thirty more minutes to get down to the Muddy Rudder.

Leslie had never been to Rivet City, his search for The Lone Wanderer had ended at Underworld, but he had heard the stories. Seeing the big boat looming out of the river was very intimidating. He was too angry at the others to let that give him pause as he nimbly ascended the platform that was supposed to access the bridge to the city.

"Help. Please." A weak voice called to him from a rusted corner once he reached the top level of the structure.

Lee turned and frowned at the site of an emaciated man slumped against the low wall. His skin was a sickly pallor and as dry as a dead brahmin that had been laying in the sun for a week.

"What's your problem, señor?" Lee asked, stepping closer out of genuine curiosity.

"I've been drinking too much irradiated water. I need some pure hydro, son. Please. I'll die if I have to drink anymore rads!"

"Shit! I would think you'd want some RadAway!" Lee exclaimed, stepping close and inhaling deeply.

The man definitely smelled like he was on his last leg so Lee didn't think he was lying about that.

"I already used the last of it but I just can't drink no more of that crap, man! My guts is glowin'!"

Lee shook his head as he kneeled beside the beggar.

_My momma always told me I was too soft on needy fuckers._

It was little trouble to hand the man his last bottle of pure water and a big piece of dried jerky that was as rad-free as you were likely to get in the Wastes. The man thanked him profusely and Lee gruffly told him to get his shit together before turning back to Echo quad. Wolf was speaking into some kind of machine on the side of the empty metal doorframe on the other side of the platform. Rachel was shaking her head in disgust at him while Evelyn just stared with huge liquid eyes. The entire structure let out a groan as a grated bridge connected it to the hull of Rivet City. Lee broke eye contact and headed straight towards Rachel. The smirk stayed on her face before she realized that Lee wasn't going to alter his course.

"Fuck!" She exclaimed and opened her mouth, presumably to make some scathing comment, but Leslie silenced her with a glare from the corner of his eye as he passed.

The air over the water smelled like metal and oil. It was surprisingly clear when he looked over the side of the bridge though. Lee was shocked at how high the side of the ship rose above him and there looked like there was a tower even higher than that. Of course, the hull was definitely losing its battle against the elements as there were massive patches of flaking and discoloration on every visible surface that Lee let his gaze rest on.

Several guards were waiting for them when they finally reached the other side. Two of the guards were armed with assault rifles and flanked a large steel footlocker. Leslie stopped as one of the guards with a combat shotgun held up a hand.

"Sorry, friend, but we don't allow heavy weapons or explosives inside Rivet City. You can understand why that might make us a little uneasy, right?"

Lee took a closer look at the speaker. She was the only one not wearing a helmet with her suit of black combat armor. For a security guard, the woman was definitely not bad-looking. Her full lips were set in a stern line and her hazel eyes were very serious. She had the short bob that seemed popular with girls in the merc trade, including many of the Rangers that weren't in his quad, but even the hair seemed to demand to be taken seriously.

"And you are?" Lee asked, retaining the mask of icy professionalism that had slipped over him since the incident with the women of his quad.

"Lana Danvers, XO of the Rivet City Security Force."

Lee nodded, "Lee Tanner, Reilly's Rangers. Nice to meet you."

XO Danvers looked at his extended hand for a moment, as if discerning if it would explode upon contact, before shaking it firmly with the tiniest of smiles.

"What counts as a heavy weapon?" Rachel asked condescendingly from behind him.

"We'll let you know." The smile was gone and the stern frown was back in full force. "Check 'em."

The nameless guard with a shotgun and a helmet complete with visor quickly frisked each of them. In the end, the ladies were left with their sidearms, combat knives, and Rachel's brass knuckles. Lee had to give his rifle and Telly up. He had heard that the confines of the ship were pretty tight though. He could make do with his knives and tomahawk if things went sour. All of their grenades went into the footlocker but at least they could keep their ammo.

"You look familiar." Danvers stopped Evelyn with a hand on her shoulder after they were cleared to enter. "Do I know you?"

"My family settled here. My papa got a job here as a structural engineer." Evelyn answered, her eyes shyly cast down to the ground.

"Oh, that's right. The new egghead. I guess you're the kid that the old guy's always moaning about." Danvers chuckled. "He'll be glad to see you. If you want to meet him, he's usually having lunch at Staley's about now. Stay out of trouble."

With that last admonishment, Danvers turned back to her men.

Leslie watched as Wolf turned some kind of wheel in the center of the door and then pushed it open. He was presently surprised to find that there was only a faint squeak as the door smoothly pivoted. Lee was right behind Wolf as they entered the portal into some kind of stairwell with signs all over the place. A sign on the left wall has 'Muddy Rudder' written on it with an arrow that pointed down.

"You can go see your Daddy, Evie. We'll meet you in the Galley when we're done." Wolf smiled as Evelyn let out a tiny squeak of joy.

"Thanks, Wolf!" Evelyn was through the other door outside the portal in a flash.

Rachel closed the hatch and twisted the wheel until it locked into place.

"Alright. Let's get this show on the road." Wolf ordered and led the way down the rusty, metal steps.

Rachel was quick to join her, probably at the prospect of booze, and Lee brought up the rear. They reached the bottom of the stairwell and Wolf led the way through some kind of short hallway that deposited them in a large room. Stairs to the left led down to what looked like a bar manned by an older lady that just looked like she only needed the thinnest excuse to verbally eviscerate someone.

"How many Rangers did Reilly take on?" An exasperated, masculine voice came from the shadows on their right.

Leslie entered behind Rachel and turned to see a man with skin darker than his own leaning against the metal wall. A lit cigarette hung from the end of his mouth and he talked around it.

"Name's Brock. I'm the bouncer. Don't start any shit and we won't have a problem. Now get the fuck outta my face."

Leslie sized him up, as he did just about every professional he came across, and thought that he could probably out-draw the man. Brock was older than he was, not to mention bigger, and the younger man had a feeling getting into a fistfight with him was a bad idea for all of them except Rachel.

The woman he had just been thinking of snorted, "My pleasure, fucker."

"Hey, Banger! Look who's here!" Lee grinned as Rachel groaned when they both recognized the voice. Myra, Delta's far too chipper medic, bounced up to them with a huge grin on her face. "We've been here for almost an hour! How are you guys doin', huh? Did you meet that bitchy security guard? I think her name was Danvers? She's cute but a total bitch. I guess she and Rachel have something in common. I heard you guys have a bunch of money. Can you spot me a few caps? That chick says they have some really good booze here. I think she was trying to hit on Banger though. Dumbass didn't know he's as broke as the rest of Delta. I guess we'll be in the money now that you're here. Oh, yeah, I almost forgo-"

"Where's Reiner, Myra?" Evelyn interrupted firmly because they all knew that the girl would just keep up the chatter unless someone stopped her.

"Oh, he's down there in the alcove beside the bar with Lita and that weird guy and his bodyguard. I ain't never seen a guy that wide, not even Banger's got the muscles that the bodyguard's got. And the weird guy smells so clean. Like, you know, he actually takes _baths_ in uncontaminated water or something? Smelling him gives me a damn headache actually."

"Hey, Myra. You want to give them a minute? I managed to win some caps off that guy throwing darts. Go get yourself a shot of whiskey. That'll calm your ass down!" Banger placed a gnarled hand over Myra's quickly outstretched appendage and dropped five caps into it.

"Thanks, Banger! You're the best!" Banger obliged Myra's enthusiasm by bending over so she could plant a chaste kiss on his cheek before she bounced down the stairs and proudly proclaimed that she wanted a shot of whiskey.

Banger chuckled, "She's so easy to please, that girl. Anyway, Reiner's downstairs talking to that guy. He's just waiting for you, Wolf. I think that guy gives him the creeps."

"Gotcha. Rachel, go mingle and don't spend all your money on booze. Lee, you're with me."

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Rachel grinned and leapfrogged down the stairs. "Hey, bartender! Keep that bottle out!"

Lee looked over the railing and noticed that the several other occupants of the bar were staring at the two Ranger females with identical looks of bewilderment. The bartender just scowled and growled something as she poured Rachel a shot. Wolf descended to bar-level and Lee followed at a careful distance. He spotted the big guy that Myra had been talking about sitting at a round table with an intimidated-looking Lita sitting across from him. The bodyguard had on a black headwrap and a sleeveless shirt that left his musclebound arms bare. Leslie couldn't see from his vantage point but he guessed that the abnormally large man, from the way his hands were placed on the table, had a sidearm of some kind. Lita, on the other hand, seemed so petrified that she wouldn't reach for her pistol if the guy did make a move. Lee had to admit that their informant's muscle was one of the fiercest looking bastard's he'd ever seen.

Wolf nodded over to the table and Lee instantly veered in that direction while his quad leader continued towards the tiny alcove where Reiner sat talking to a cadaverously-thin man in a business suit.

"Mind if I join you, amiga?" Lita looked up at him with grateful eyes.

Lee knew that Lita was older than he was but, as he often found, living like he had for the last few years had hardened him up more than many of his peers. Of course, there was always Rachel, who would have been trying to pick a fight with the big guy just to prove that she wasn't afraid. He knew which one he preferred.

"I'm Lee." He nodded to the stranger sitting across the small table.

The man's too pale face, he could understand a little better why the man made Lita nervous, returned the head nod, "Frost."

"Come here often?" Leslie asked and Frost just shook his head in the negative.

_So that's how it is, puto? Gonna play that game?_

Leslie reached down to strap of his gun holster and removed a partially hidden throwing knife he kept there. Its edges were dull and the handle was simple a flattened end but the point was sharp. He had seen it penetrate up to two inches into someone's neck at this range before. Frost's eyes automatically went to the weapon and Leslie could feel the man sizing it up. Then the Ranger began to idly thread the knife through his fingers.

"Hey, Lita. I heard your job went pretty good. Why're you guys back this way so soon?"

"Oh." Lita's voice was low and husky. For some reason, her voice always had him thinking about what she sounded like in bed.

_I never used to be this fucking bad. It's those women. I haven't been around a woman for this much time since I was a kid. It doesn't help that one almost made me shoot in my pants without touching me, one nearly humped me to death, and Rachel's always talking about fucking and getting fucked. Damnit._

It also didn't help that Leslie knew that Lita was nearly as sex-crazed as Rachel. The petite Delta scout was just far more stealthy about it since that approach suited her nature.

"We got the mapper data, easy as pie. We popped a couple of stray Muties on the way back to HQ. Even saved some poor bastard they had strung up for carving. Reilly ordered us to escort him back here since we were coming here to see if there were any potential clients. Reiner and Banger almost got into a fight with some Talon mercs upstairs in the market, but Myra and me talked them out of it."

"Yeah. It'd be bad if we killed any of those pendejos. Danvers looks like she's just waiting for an excuse to bust some heads."

Lee had not taken take his eyes off of Frost for one moment as he talked to Lita while twirling the throwing blade in his hand. Frost met his eyes and gave a tiny nod of respect. As quick as lightning, Lee slammed the knife point-down into table. The flat-end quivered in place a few inches in front of him.

"Is it true what they said that you and Rachel did?" Lee quirked an eyebrow at the question and Lita hurried to explain. "Well, Brick was telling us that you and Rachel snuck into a raider camp and killed like fifteen of them with nothing but knives and fists before anyone even knew you were there!"

Lee scoffed, "It wasn't that many, Lita. You can't believe all the bullshit Brick tells you. She'd have us all believe she's killed over a thousand Muties with Eugene. And, as young as she is, she couldn't'a done even half that many. Even she and Eugene need to rest sometime."

There was a moment of silence before a surprisingly light voice asked, "So... how many did you take out?"

Lee picked up his knife and scratched the underside of his jaw for a moment, "You know. I don't keep count so I can never remember. Rachel!"

Lita nearly fell out of the chair at Leslie's sudden bellow.

"What, you fuck!? You can't talk to me, but you can yell at me!?" Rachel screamed back from the bar as she swivelled in her barstool.

There really was no need to shout, the room wasn't that large, but it felt good to vent.

"Frost here wants to know how many raiders we did in that camp! I figured you'd want to impress _somebody_!"

"Oh! Shit! Let me think! I did two and you did three. Five. Oh, wait. Are we counting the six we got at the firebase?"

Leslie was actually amazed because, now that Rachel had jogged his memory, her counting was on the money.

"Nah. Just the ones we got before we go that one. Gracias."

"Yeah, yeah. God. I wish I could buy the whole bottle. One more shot, you crusty, old bitch!"

"You know. With a mouth like that, it's a wonder you haven't been shot yet." Rachel was about to protest when the bartender continued. "In the face."

Myra roared with laughter as if it were the funniest joke ever told by a crusty, old woman. Rachel just glared and threw back her shot with a grimace.

"Good to see that Rachel hasn't changed at all." Reiner's voice came from behind them.

All three seated guards stood and regarded their employers.

"We have what we came for, Frost. Let's go."

Frost nodded at Lee in farewell and the Ranger returned the gesture.

"Lee actually got him to ask a question!" Myra bounced over to them after the two strangers had left. She seemed to bounce all the time unless she was actually doing her job. "I thought his voice would be more deep and growly like Banger's!"

"Never judge a scav by his stink, Myra. Do I have to keep repeatin' that?" Reiner scolded the young woman with an obviously playful scowl.

Myra, for her part, just stuck her tongue out and crossed her eyes. Even after having known Myra and Evelyn for weeks, their personalities still amazed Lee.

"I hate to break up the party, but we still have some daylight to kill."

"Shit, Wolf." Rachel whined, her eyes already slightly glazed from drinking on an empty stomach. "I figured we would sleep here!"

"I don't like sleeping in a room full of strangers and the common bunkroom is always filled to overflowing. People'll be sleeping in the corridors from what Evie told me. And I'm not spending the caps to buy a room at the 'hotel' even if they have one available. So get your shit together and let's go."

Wolf was really coming into her own as quad leader. Lee could see it more everyday in how she talked and handled all three of them. Of course, that still didn't stop him from remembering that night at the firebase.

_Yeah. Well, that'll be easier after that shit in Underworld._ Lee thought bitterly.

"I was thinking the same thing but Banger somehow managed to get a free room for the quad from that Weatherly woman." Reiner's statement caused both Myra and Lita to giggle. "I probably don't want to know. You guys can sleep there, too, if you want."

Wolf shook her head before Rachel could jump at the chance, "No thanks, Reiner. I've seen how tiny those rooms are. I'm sure we can find somewhere we can camp for the night on the way to Megaton. Let's go get Evie, guys."

Lee was surprised that Wolf only gave Reiner and the others a nod before heading up the stairs. It was not a shock that Rachel didn't even do that as she sullenly followed the older Ranger.

"Nice seeing you Lita, Reiner, Myra. Try to keep Banger and Reiner out of trouble, ladies."

"Bye, Lee." Myra said with a giggle and a wink before she bounced up the stairs to Banger.

"See ya, Lee." Lita surprised him with a hug and whispered into his ear. "Wolf wants to fuck you."

Lee smirked a little and winked at Lita. Reiner clapped him on the shoulder.

"Whatever thing happened to put you guys at odds... fix it. Is bad mojo to have your team pissed off at each other."

Lee shrugged, "You can't fix what can't be fixed."

Some really old scav, Lee thought he had been at least fifty-years-old at the time, had told him that once. He was pretty sure that the look on Reiner's face was a reasonable duplicate of the one he had put on a the time.

"Later." He said with a little wave before hurrying after Wolf and Rachel.

Banger gave a lazy salute from his chair at the pool table and Leslie returned it with one of his own. His two quadmates were waiting for him just outside the entrance. Neither said a word as Wolf led the way up the stairwell. They exited by the same door they had come in by; only to enter the door next to it.

The interior space they found themselves in was a lot bigger than the bar. There was a clear "street" directly in front of them with shops on either side. Lee recognized a gun shop on his left and a place that sold clothing on the right as they walked. There were a few others, one he was almost positive sold drugs, but their purposes were lost on him. Wolf stopped at what was definitely an eatery. The smell of simmering stew and roasting meat was very strong at this end of the path. A number of tables were scattered through this area as well. Almost all of them were occupied. A trio of Talon mercs in their black combat armor were talking loudly at one. A lone man, garbed in suspenders with a generally suspicious air about him, sat at one and seemed as though he were watching one of the girls sitting at the table in front of him. A pair of Regulators, their long dusters gave away their profession at a glance, sat staring at the creepy guy who was staring at the girls.

Lee took a moment to spot Evelyn above all the noise when he realized that she was sitting at a table where half of it was coming from. The short, shy girl was surrounded by boisterous, loud strangers that seemed to make her shrink in on herself. Wolf strode over to the table without hesitation and Rachel was right behind her. The Talon mercs all got quiet as they passed and Rachel threw one a dirty look. This one had an eyepatch on, that side of his face was a mess of burn tissue, and he flicked his tongue at her obscenely. Lee just ignored them and so he caught the end of a conversation.

"-you really need to come home, Evelyn! You've done what you wanted to do and seen some more of that nasty ass Wasteland. Now it's time to come back where you're safe. I'm sure your sisters can help you find a nice man and you can find a job." The oldest man there was obviously trying to sound convincing as he chewed on a piece of roasted brahmin. His thick, brown beard and long hair gave him a brutish appearance but Evelyn has always talked about how smart he was. Lee knew he was a manipulator though. His brown eyes fairly gleamed with it. "I don't want you becoming another Waster scav-whore, damnit!"

"She's a little too shy for that, Dad." One of the girls at the table giggled and stretched.

The Talon mercs started whispering among themselves and Lee turned to see them stare with huge eyes at her chest. Lee had to admit that it was an even more impressive one than Wolf's and that was saying something. Of course, Wolf didn't go around with a jumpsuit that was unzipped to show off the maximum amount without spilling out of her clothes. From the upward cast of her lips, Leslie had a feeling she often invited the attention.

"Hey, Evie." Wolf greeted the remaining member of their quad with a nod as she stopped a foot from the edge of the table.

"Hey, Wolf." Evelyn said quietly. "Dad, this is my quad. That's Wolf. The tall one is Rachel. The guy is Lee. Guys, this is my family." Evelyn pointed to them in turn. "This is my Dad, Thomas." The older guy nodded and took another bit of brahmin. "My oldest brother, Tommy." This brother was sitting down but Leslie thought he would be a bit taller than Rachel if he were standing. He also had dark blonde hair like the attention-seeking sister. "These twins are Randy and Liz." Now that he was closer, Lee could see that the two did look almost exactly alike. It was a good thing for them they had the peculiar facial features that could be attractive on both a man and a woman. "And that's Layla."

Lee had not known Evelyn as long as her family but they all seemed to miss the hint of distaste in her voice as she pointed them out.

_That's funny. She always seemed to miss her family when she talked about them while we were training._

"It's nice to meet you." Wolf greeted them and Rachel just nodded. Lee, for a change, took the pale Ranger's lead and did the same. "Unfortunately, we have to be going now. We're on the clock."

"I was meaning to talk to you about that, Wolf." Thomas said, leaning back and putting his folded hand on his gut. Lee hadn't seen anyone with a gut in years.

_How in the Hell can this asshole afford to eat _that_ much?_

"We don't think Evelyn's cut out for this thing, despite what she may think." The twin named Liz said. She was definitely beautiful but there was something about the way she carried herself that put Lee on edge. "She fainted when we had to put our dog down."

Layla chimed in then, "I'm stronger than she is and I don't think I would be much help to you guys. I always used to beat her at wrestling back home."

Rachel burst into laughter and actually bent at the waist as she tottered in place.

Layla's face scrunched up with irritation, "What's so funny?"

"She didn't tell you?" Rachel straightened and got that look in her eye when she was about to say something that would cause a dramatic reaction.

"Tell us what?" Thomas glared at his youngest daughter before turning the look on Rachel.

"Don't, Rachel." Evelyn said, before turning a longing gaze on Leslie.

_Oh, no. I'm not doing it. Fuck her, anyway. I'm just a ghoul-lover, right?_

"Well, your sweet, innocent little Evelyn here shot a pair of Raiders to shit with the little Subby she likes to carry around these days. She puked after, but everyone does. That's right. We're turning her into a badass merc. You should see her naked. We all have and you might be surprised at how hard she is. I _know_ her ass is like a rock."

That really set the entire table off.

"Lee, you could sit here!" Evelyn had to shout over the roars of her family as she patted an empty chair beside her.

Lee shook his head and Evelyn's lower lip trembled. Rachel, Lee couldn't tell if she had noticed the exchange or not, flopped down into the chair. The smirking Ranger put an arm around Evelyn and then both of her boots were on the table. Lee felt eyes on him though and turned his head to discover the oldest brother glaring at him from beneath a pair of bushy eyebrows. Tommy stood and came over to him. The Fitch man was just a little taller than Rachel and he did his best to loom over Lee.

"Can I talk to you over here for a second?" Tommy took him by the arm and started moving before Lee had said a word. He thought about digging in his heels and not budging for a moment but he was curious as to what the man wanted. They stopped in a shadowed corner of the big room and Tommy had maneuvered them so Lee was walled-in. "Are you screwing my sister?"

_Why does everyone think that?_ The thought only severed to produce the image of Evelyn dancing in front of him.

"No." Lee kept the answer short and simple in the hopes that it would end the conversation there.

"I saw the way she was looking at you." Lee's luck was obviously not very good lately. "She's a virgin and a good Catholic and she's going to stay that way. So you'd better stay away from her. Once she gets this little thing out of her system, she's going to come back here and find a good man to marry."

"Right. Did you give the same speech to the guy that popped Layla's cherry?"

_Wow. I think Rachel's rubbing off on me._

Lee could nearly hear Tommy grinding his teeth. "Layla's got her problems and we're trying to stop Evelyn from going down that same road. We have ways of dealing with little Waster shits like you, boy. So you stay the fuck away from my sister."

"Right now, I wouldn't touch your sister with a ten-foot cock. Apparently she got the asshole gene from you and your Dad's side of the family in spades. So, you have nothing to worry about."

"It's good that some people know their place." Tommy turned to go but Lee snatched his forearm in the tightest grip he could manage. The taller man turned with a wince and stopped at the feel of the tip of Lee's long knife in the hollow of his throat.

"You don't know me, muchacho, but I'm gonna do you a favor and tell you something. I don't like threats. To me, they're just promises, see. And you just promised me that you'd kill me for nothin' more than your sister wantin' to fuck me. I got a _problem_ with that see. And I like to _cut_ problems off before they bother me too much, comprende? I don't care if she is your sister. If you ever talk to me like that again, I'm going to kill you and she won't ever even know about it. I could kill each and every one of your family, in their beds, get rid of the bodies, and no one would know what happened to you. Do you understand me?"

"Yeah. I hear you." Lee removed the blade from Tommy's neck and sheathed it in a motion almost too quick to follow. The taller man rubbed at a spot of blood on his neck. "So, I guess you don't like threats but you can make them?"

Lee grinned widely, "No. I only make promises."

Lee let his face drop back to a neutral expression as he walked back to the table to find the rest of his quad waiting for him. Apparently the dispute about Evelyn leaving had been settled.

"Is everything alright, Tommy?" Layla asked after taking a look at her brother's face.

"Uh, yeah. Just told him to watch out for our little E." Tommy said despite his face still being a little pale.

"Let's go, Lee." Wolf said, her voice icy from having to deal with Evelyn's family.

Echo quad quickly made their escape back to the weapons checkpoint.

"So, what did you guys really talk about?" Evelyn asked as they retrieved their weapons.

Lee grinned, "Promises."


	7. VII

_A/N: This one's a shorty. The length of chapters will vary. Some will probably be real monsters upwards of 10,000 words, but I'll try to keep that to a minimum. That sort of thing has a tendency to burn me out so I just post chapters as the mood takes me. Thanks for reading._

* * *

The route they were going to take across the river was blocked by a nightmarish firefight between a BrotherHood of Steel patrol and a swarm of super mutants. Leslie cursed and quickly raced back to his quad to give confirm that the sounds were exactly what they feared. The four hunkered down in a convenient hide that someone had built beneath some rubble. It afforded Leslie a clear view of the riverside as Wolf pondered their options.

"Is there anything we can do to help the BrotherHood out?"

_Why would I want to help a bunch of bigots that look down on _everyone_ in the Wasteland?!_ Leslie thought but decided to keep that to himself.

"You're kidding, right?" Rachel said, her voice full of disbelief. "Unless my ears are totally gonzo, there are at least three mini-guns, five laser rifles, two sniper rifles, and a pair of missile launchers being used out there. I have no idea why the Muties are making a push to control the bridge, but they're hell bent. They'll probably stop in a minute and try for another push tonight. Fucking BrotherHood of Shits not going to take the fight to them unless they have a fucking reasons. They're a bunch of juiced-up pussies in armor."

"Okay, Rachel. Less bitched and more thinking. Anyone have any ideas?" Wolf asked and it quickly became obvious that she was the only one that had ever even crossed the river at the before.

The heat of being trapped in a small, concrete space with three other people caused a little more irritation than Lee would have liked to enter his voice, "There's another bridge further down but it's a death trap 'cause one of the bigger gangs of Raiders likes to use it. We can ford the river. There's a small family that keeps a couple of boats hidden at there for when they come to this side of the river to hunt molerat and mirelurk. It'll take longer though. We'll have to take a longer way around to avoid getting fucking chopped to pieces."

Lee spit near his boot to further punctuate his feelings on the matter.

It was probably the most he had spoken to any of them at one time in a while but it caused Evelyn to tear up for the seemingly hundredth time that day.

_Goddamnit. Why can't she grow some cajones?_

"Alright, Leslie. Lead the way." Wolf made the decision with a quiet determination and Leslie nodded as he took point.

It was close to full dark by the time they finally made it to the rubble-strewn shoreline where the large rafts were buried in the loose gravel that was what remained of stone foundations. Leslie, to the surprise of his quadmates, also produced the partially decomposed body of a molerat. The raft was large enough for them all to sit on, but just barely.

"What's the molerat for?" Evelyn asked, as Lee and Rachel maneuvered the raft into the water before hopping on.

"The river's lousy with mirelurks, more every year, and they will attack your boat. So you either need something to occupy them or to lure them in so you can kill them all. We don't want to make much noise, so we'll have to lure them in. I'll have to catch a molerat to pay them back for using this one."

"Oh, okay." Evelyn offered a tiny smile that quickly vanished when it was not returned.

_That's right. Don't fall for it, estúpido._

Once they got to the halfway point, Lee dropped his paddle and rolled the molerat into the deepest part of the river. Several seconds later there was furious splashing in as the mirelurks beneath the surface fought over the partially rotted corpse. They reached the other side quickly, hid the raft, and left a note that read: 'I.O.U. 1 RAT! LEE'. The brothers and their mother were, like Lee, not the most educated of people.

It was nearly full dark by the time they came to the SuperDuper Mart and Wolf called them to a stop.

"Do you think we should risk trying to make it tonight?"

Lee knew a little of Wolf's story and it amazed him how little she knew of traveling in the Wastes.

"No. There's radscorpion sign all over this place. Maybe the big ones."

"Alright. The Wanderer said that he cleared this place out, but I want you to scout it out Lee. We'll take cover out here until you're done. Unless you need Rachel to back you up."

Lee frowned slightly, knowing his face was too far in shadow for them to see in the wane light, "No, I got it."

Lee confirmed that the Mart was abandoned and hadn't been occupied for at least a couple of weeks. The quad made camp behind the pharmacy counter, their bedrolls placed close together to share body heat, and Lee volunteered to take first watch with Rachel. He knew that Evelyn probably wanted to share a watch with him but he didn't feel like dealing with a conversation now. Rachel would go to the opposite entrance and actually stay at her post instead of trying to engage him in conversation.

"I'll have supper ready in about ten minutes." Wolf said and Leslie acknowledged it with a simple nod.

Of course, he could feel Evelyn's eyes on him as he walked away to stand watch.

* * *

Evelyn tried to restrain the urge to cry as Leslie walked away from her.

_I always have to mess things up! What's wrong with me? Why did I have to say that shit about zombies?_

Evelyn sat on her bedroll miserably as Wolf prepared a pot of stew. She poured their last skin of cooking water into the pot, added pieces of brahmin jerky, and finished it up with mottled brownish-green peppers. She cleared a space on the floor and put down a saucer of heat-resistant alloy. The quad leader placed several small, rectangular objects in the bowl and then held out a hand for Evelyn's arc-welder. Familiarity with the routine enabled Evie to hand the precious device to the medic. It only took a second for a faint orange-red glow to emerge from the saucer. Finally, Wolf set-up a grille-stand above the bowl, and put the pot on top of it.

"Okay. Why are you looking so miserable?" Wolf asked, removing her boots and socks with a sigh.

"I'm not miserable," Evelyn denied, even though she knew she sounded exactly that.

"It's Lee, isn't it?" Wolf didn't wait for her to reply before continuing. "If you feel bad, just talk to him about it. He won't just entirely ignore you when you talk to him, once it's not so fresh. Just give him a day or two and you can talk to him. Okay?"

Evelyn just nodded and hugged her knees to her chest in her despondency as the stew cooked. Soon the air was filled with scent of the bubbling contents of the pot. Rachel and Lee appeared a few minutes later to grab a cup to take back to their posts. Evelyn was watching forlornly as Lee didn't even turn in her direction as he extended a big tin cup to scoop some of the soup into it.

Evelyn jumped when the sound of glass shattering echoed through the building. Lee didn't even flinch and simply set his cup down.

"What do you wanna do, boss?" Lee asked, his voice was as eerily calm as his face.

"Check them. If they're raiders, you know what to do. Back him up, Rachel."

"Shit. Alright. Always second fucking fiddle." Rachel grumbled but she quickly snapped her assault rifle into her hands.

"Evelyn." Wolf called and snapped the younger woman out of her daze. "Arm yourself. Sidearm. I don't like the way you're looking so keep the SMG stowed."

"Where'd Charlie go!?" An unfamiliar voice shouted.

"He probably snuck off to jack off!" A woman's voice laughed uproariously at her own joke.

"Who the fuck is-" This man's voice descended into a shriek of pain and terror.

The other raiders, it sounded like dozens of them to Evelyn's quaking mind, erupted into furious shouting and cursing. Breaking above all of that was a terrifying sound that Evelyn had never heard before. It was a rapid, ululation that seemed almost gleeful in its bloodthirstiness. Then the raiders began shooting in seemingly random directions. Several rounds even ricocheted off the wall behind them.

"Was that Leslie?!" Wolf shouted to be heard over the cacophony of rifles going off.

"I-I think so," Evelyn asked, only now remembering to draw her sidearm and flick off the safety.

The chatter of Rachel's assault rifle rose above the distinct cracks of the hunters smaller-caliber rifles. With shocking suddenness, all the weapons went silent, and then the quiet was broken by the thunderous sound of a .44-caliber magnum revolver being fired three times in quick succession.

"You motherfucker!" One of the raiders shouted shrilly and the cry was drowned out by Leslie's strange, ululating battlecry.

Evelyn clutched the grip of her .32 and glanced over at Wolf. The golden-skinned woman gave her a confident wink and lifted her pump-action shotgun as she slowly rose to peer over the edge of the counter. Just as her eyes became level with the counter, she began to duck down, but was not fast enough as the tip of a leather boot caught her just beneath the lip of her helmet. Wolf crumpled with a half-groan, half-sigh and a burly figure in horrific smelling canvas clothing let loose a startled squeal as he landed hard on his shoulder. He rolled right over the heating bowl and squealed in outrage.

"Goddamnit! Fuckes're everywhere!" The man shouted as he scrambled to his hands and knees with a tire iron in hand.

Evelyn raised her pistol and was about to squeeze the trigger when excruciating pain flared in her forearm. She involuntarily let the gun go and it clattered to the floor several feet away. Someone slapped her in the face and, to her extreme embarrassment, she started to sob. The burly man crawled over to her as another man ducked behind the counter to Evelyn's right. This figure was slimmer, but seemed even wider at the shoulder's than the first. He had a serrated combat knife in hand and a hunting rifle strapped across his back. The slimmer one wore filthy leather armor that seemed one bad duststorm from falling apart. Both of them were taller and heavierset than Leslie.

_Why does that even matter?_ Evelyn thought to herself in disgust and bewilderment at her own mental workings.

The man with the knife narrowed dark brown eyes at the Ranger, "How many of you are there?" Evelyn remained silent and was rewarded with another slap. "How many!?"

Evelyn kept her mouth shut and the burly man grinned to reveal surprisingly pristine, white teeth, "C'mon, Volt. Let's take the bitch hostage and get the fuck outta here. That crazy motherfucker and that big bitch won't take long with the others. We can sell her in Paradise Falls and fuck her the entire trip there. C'mon, man!"

The brown-eyed man was more muscular and had a much more intimidating face but he grinned and nodded at the burly raider, "Yeah. What about the other one?"

Burly shrugged and spit on Wolf's groaning, writhing body, "Fuck her. Bitch almost killed me. I'd knife her but I don't wanna make too much racket."

"Alright. Take point. I'll get the girl. There's a entrance to the left. Keep quiet!"

The burly raider nodded and moved in a crouch through the doorway that led to a series of hallways that would let them out onto the main floor a dozen feet or so to the right.

"You stay quiet and low, bitch, and maybe we won't be so rough on you later," Volt whispered to her.

Evelyn whispered back, "You should let me go and run."

"C'mon!" The large man tugged her hard and moved into the hall.

Burly had paused at the first turn to wait for his partner. When Volt and Evelyn joined him, Burly turned the corner and confidently stood once he was out of the direct line-of-sight of the main area. Volt stood and pulled Evelyn up with him once they turned the corner. Volt, not knowing the next hallway also had direct line-of-sight, walked into plain view at the junction. The burly raider had not completed his turn before his body stiffened and he toppled backward. A polished wooden hilt stuck out of the raider's sternum with only a little blood leaking from the instantly fatal wound. It was then that a familiar figure stepped into the dim lighting of the hallway.

Leslie's light brown eyes had two, dark, wet lines beneath them and his face was set in a grim mask. Evelyn, in the short time since they had met, had never seen such a look on the normally affable man's face. His tomahawk, held loosely in his left hand, dripped blood slowly on onto the floor as he reached behind his back to draw his titanium, double-edged knife.

"Don't come any closer, you little fuck! I'll kill the girl!" Volt shouted and Evelyn tensed at the feel of cold steel underneath her chin.

"If you do that, I'll skin you alive... slowly." Even Leslie's voice, normally warm and rich, seemed as cold as the Wastes at night. "Let her go and face me. Man-to-man. C'mon, raider, you must be man enough to take on a kid like me."

Leslie grinned widely, slightly yellowed teeth also gleaming darkly with what could only be blood, as if to mock the much taller, heavier man.

"I'm gonna skullfuck you, you motherfucker!" Volt roared and threw Evelyn into the wall.

The young woman braced herself with her forearms and thought the bruises she would have were a fair trade for a possibly broken nose. She turned and watched as Volt ran at Leslie with wild screams. The big man slashed in wide diagonal arcs as he approached. Leslie, for his part, watched calmly as the raider approached. A single half-step back put the relatively thin Ranger out of range of a swing and his knife flashed upward in a short arc. Volt screamed shrilly and clutched the spurting cut on his wrist. His momentary lapse in concentration cost him dearly as his opponent buried the entire length of their knife into his sternum. The scream went hoarse and wet as Volt dropped to his knees and clutched at his stomach. Evelyn's eyes were wide and her mouth dropped in silent astonishment as Leslie fixed her with a dispassionate stare.

Leslie turned in a blinding arc, let out that ululating warcry, and swung the blunt-end of his tomahawk at Volt's head. Gore exploded from the hit in a shotgun blast down the hall. Wet chunks of bone and flesh peppered Evelyn. She managed to wipe the blood from her face to see the violent convulsing form of Volt on the ground just before Leslie brought the tomahawk down again.

The world went dark in a rush as Evelyn fainted.

* * *

_End Note: Leslie's warry is a derivative of an Apache one. A sufficiently strong enough blow from a tomahawk is capable of cracking through a man's skull with enough force to achieve that kind of splatter according to the show _Deadliest Warrior.


	8. VIII

"What happened!?" Rachel, to her embarrassment, practically screeched when she caught up to Lee.

The sole male in their quad had gone after a pair of bolters while Rachel had stalked the remaining raider. All of the raiders had blown through their measly ammo loads within a minute and she had cornered the lice-ridden asshole. He had been frothing at the mouth from terror when she found him and had attacked her with an aluminum bat. Rachel had dispatched him in three swift movements that ended in a fatal choke. She had rushed to either gloat about her victory or lend Leslie a hand so that she could rub it in his face.

The heavy-hitter of the group had not been prepared for the devastation that she found in the hallway. Leslie was squatting besides Evelyn's crumpled body and Rachel could see that the girl's torso was covered in gore. Most of it seemed like it had come from the mangled skull of a raider. The other corpse was remarkably intact except for the death-stare and the hilt of one of Lee's knives sticking out of his chest.

"Is she alive?" Rachel asked, stepping closer to see for herself.

"Yes. She just fainted. I'll bring her. You should check on Wolf." Lee's voice was a broken monotone. It was as though he were only half-aware of his surroundings. That, more than any of the behavior Lee had displayed since he had threatened Rachel, scared the young woman into quiet compliance.

Wolf was groggily sitting up when Rachel emerged into Echo's camp.

"Rachel." She croaked and then cleared her throat. "Where's Evie?"

Rachel knelt by their medic and helped her take the helmet off. There was a fair amount of blood running down Wolf's face. Head wounds always bled a lot though and the cut would barely require a couple of stitches.

"Lee's got her. He took care of those fuckers that got you guys." Rachel quickly retrieved a sterile cloth-rag from Wolf's kit and began wiping her face. "Here. Look into the light."

By the time that Rachel had come to the conclusion that Wolf didn't have a concussion, Lee had returned with a still unconscious Evelyn in his arms. Rachel's eyes widened of their own accord as she got her first good look at him since the fight started. He looked like he had painted himself with the blood of the raiders and he had a classic thousand-yard stare. Despite all of that, Leslie gently placed Evelyn down on her sleeping mat and covered her with a thin blanket.

"Can you take care of them?" Lee asked and waited for Rachel's nod before he continued. "I'm going to secure the perimeter, move the bodies, and collect their gear. If I'm not back in two hours, then bring some heat."

The savage man, and Rachel was only now appreciating how true that was, disappeared back into the hallway with his typical stealth.

"Okay, Rach." Wolf called her attention back to what she was doing. "I think we can just glue it up and slap a bandage on it. I don't know if I trust you stitching me."

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me? I'm _never_ nervous in the service, Wolf! I could rub your pussy with one hand, suck Leslie's cock, and still hit a bullseye with my sidearm!" Rachel exclaimed incredulously and Wolf just looked at her with raised eyebrows.

_Way to go, Rachel. You basically just admitted you want to make your quad leader squirt all over your face. You stupid cunt._

"I wasn't commenting on the steadiness of your hands, Rach, but your temperament isn't exactly on the straight and narrow." Wolf said, quite calmly, but there was something weird in her eyes.

_Does she think I'm pretty? Nah, she couldn't. I'm tall and skinny and she's all curvy like a real woman. She probably just thinks I'm a weirdo. Fuck._

"Oh, yeah. I see what you're sayin'." Rachel wisely kept her mouth shut while she got the tube of wound sealer out and applied it to the tiny gash. A couple strips of tape and a neat, square bandage seemed to bring Wolf back to her normal self.

"Okay." Wolf took a deep breath and turned to Evelyn's still form. "I don't like Leslie securing the perimeter by himself. Go give him a hand. If any raiders were left then I presume they've scattered, but I don't want to take any chances. I'll take care of Evelyn."

"Gotcha, boss." Rachel's normal abrasive comment was swallowed by her eagerness to escape the awkward situation she had created with her earlier comments.

The pale woman stood, retrieved her assault rifle, and went to find Leslie. She was surprised when she found that he had managed to move the raiders out of the hallway and had them in the antechamber that led to the outside. One of them was already stripped down to filthy underwear and his equipment was on a long table against one wall. Leslie was kneeling before the second body and was shrugging him out of his foul leather.

"Shit, Leslie!" Rachel scrunched up her face and waved a hand in a futile effort to get the stink out of her face. "Why do raiders always smell like brahmin shit and mirelurk spit? I know the water is full of rads, most places, but fuck. A sponge-bath wouldn't kill their asses, would it?"

Lee grunted and continued tugging off the man's belongings.

"I already secured the other door and walked the perimeter. It's clear for now. I stacked their weapons over there. They didn't have much. Could you check them?"

_Fine. You still want to play that game, fucker. I can be a cool pro, too._

"I'm on it." Rachel grunted and went to the table to examine the weapons.

There was a crappy-looking hunting rifle, a rusty sawed-off, a tire iron, and a combat knife sitting in a neat row. Besides that, shoved into a messy pile, were various personal survival items that were necessary to keep a person alive out in the Wastes. Rachel tried not to let people notice, and sometimes left things a little messy on purpose, but she tended to be a little obsessive about keeping things neat and orderly. Her clan brothers and sisters had teased her about that since their first year of general education.

_Don't think about those shitheads!_ She berated herself before letting the task of organizing and disassembling the equipment distract her from those dark thoughts.

Leslie periodically left and returned dragging a body behind him. Her pile of equipment grew steadily larger as time dragged on. A lot of it was unsalvageable and the weapons were as poorly maintained as they seemed at first glance. It amazed Rachel that the raiders could even hunt with their heat in such poor condition. The armor, unless Evelyn could work some mechanist-magic, would fetch a much higher price than the weapons. Though, why anyone would want to wear the barely-there protection of the pain-spike style of "armor" was beyond the Ranger.

When Rachel was done, both of the tables in the antechamber were covered in neat rows of weapons, armor, and general equipment. Lee had begun hauling the bodies to a place he had picked thirty feet from the store for the animal scavengers to take care of. Rachel silently grabbed the feet of the body he was carrying and helped him carry the raider out into the chill night. The sky was a dazzling riot of starlight and constellations thanks to the new moon, but that made it harder to see. Leslie, much to Rachel's displeasure, moved with his customary nimbleness.

_He's probably a mutant and doesn't even know it. At least I _know_ I am._ She thought with smug satisfaction.

The pair moved quickly after the howl of a wild dog shattered the night air. Rachel figured that, between them, they would be able to handle even a large pack. But that sort of action would attract larger predators that could give them some trouble. It was always best to avoid that sort of shit in the middle of the night if you could help it.

Rachel resisted the urge to sigh with relief once they barricaded the entrance. Lee's face was still impassive even though he had moved just as quickly as she had.

"Let's move these table closer to camp. Evelyn should be awake now."

Rachel nodded and went to grab one end of the table. She looked up and was surprised that Leslie had found time to clean off his face while she had been organizing. The quiet man was definitely less frightening now and, once she considered Evelyn's disposition, Rachel understood why he had taken the time.

_What a fuckin' softie!_ She thought, even though a small part of her was both jealous and warmed by the sentiment that maybe someone could show such regard for her well-being.

They heard Evelyn's sob echoing throughout the interior of the building before they walked more than fifteen feet. Upon entering the temporary camp, they found Evelyn with her head buried in Wolf's shoulder. After they set the table down, Rachel watched as Lee turned to Evelyn. The girl raised her head up, eyes wide and bloodshot, and the expression on her face was haunted. It brought back flashes of memory to Rachel. Of a girl that was a lot like Rachel. A girl that hadn't been able to handle the realities of Rachel's clan. Her light, that wonderful inner light that could warm even the coldest heart, had been extinguished in a single night during an attack on the village.

That girl had been Rachel's best friend and it hurt to see that same expression on Evelyn's face.

The youngest Ranger turned to Lee and opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something. Lee took a half-step towards her, stopped, balled his hands into fists, and quickly walked out. Evelyn broke into a fresh bout of sobs and buried her head in Wolf's bosom this time. Rachel came to a decision.

_Okay. Just remember. You can take him hand-to-hand._ The thought didn't really bring her any comfort.

She found Lee standing in front of the table as though he would have waited for her there all night if he had too. His expression was hard, stony but his eyes were wide and shining. Rachel took a bracing breath and put her hands on the table.

"I want to talk to you, Lee. It's important." She could tell that her use of his informal name had gotten through whatever was going on in his head. "I'm a hateful bitch. I know this and I couldn't change it even if I wanted to. I can be mean and hurtful and spiteful. And maybe you should hate me for all of that. Maybe you should hate me because I don't think of ghouls as people. That's fine and I can deal with that. But why the fuck are you punishing Evelyn and Wolf?"

Lee growled like an animal, "Because they're bigots, just like you. That attitude can be moved to anyone that's different, very easy."

"Holy shit, Lee. Have you never been wrong about anything? Never made a mistake that you regretted more than anything you'd ever done?"

_Ha! Gotcha!_ She thought as Leslie involuntarily flinched at her accusation.

"You know Evelyn grew up sheltered from life out here. She'd never even seen a ghoul up close before then. And Wolf was just shocked at how casual you are with them. Did she not treat them like she treats everyone else? Kinda like an irritating little kid that she wants to spank but really can't?"

There was a ghost of a smile but Lee quickly schooled his face.

"Evelyn needs all of three of us to make it out here, Lee. I thought you understood that. Maybe you had the wrong idea about her. Or maybe she just needs someone to show her how to live. Do you really want _me_ and Wolf to do that by ourselves? We can barely catch molerat without killing ourselves."

Lee snorted, "Let's move this table, piernas."

Rachel grinned and moved to pick the table up. It was the first time that he had called any of them by a nickname in days and it was the first time that he had called her anything without a sneer of condescension. There was just one thing.

"What did you call me?"

"Legs."

And then Rachel did something that she hated doing because it was so easy to see.

She blushed.


	9. IX

Lee yawned widely as he sharpened the blade of his hunting knife on his whetstone. It had been a long night. He and Rachel had split the night watch between them. Wolf had been unsteady for a few hours before settling down to sleep. There had been no such reprieve for Evelyn. Whenever the young woman had closed her eyes for more than a minute, she would jerk awake with a startled yelp. Rachel, continuing on her campaign of surprising behavior, had actually comforted Evelyn during those moments despite missing out on her own sleep. Lee had been wise enough to avoid letting Rachel know that he had heard her whispering encouraging words to her quadmate when she had relieved him. He had quietly sat next to Evelyn and put an arm around her as she clutched her knees to her chest. She had stiffened for a moment before bursting into tears and wrapping her arms around his waist.

The two teenagers had spent at least an hour apologizing to each other. Lee had reassured her that he didn't hate her and she repeatedly apologized for not being more open-minded. He still had the feeling she was finding him more than a little intimidating but Evie denied that when he asked her about it. This had happened before when he had been escorting a young girl from her tiny settlement to Megaton and he had been forced to stalk a handful of slavers that had marked them as easy meat. The girl, he couldn't even remember her name now, had let out an unearthly shriek when he had emerged from the darkness. He supposed that marking himself with the blood of his enemies was startling to some at first glance.

"Could ya stop that, Lee? How'm ah supposed to get any sleep?!" Wolf barked irritably and then raised her head to peer about with narrowed eyes. "Why's Evie cookin'?"

Lee laughed and examined the edge of his blade with a practiced eye.

_Just sharp enough._

"Because it's almost noon, Wolf." Evelyn replied with a giggle and that made Leslie smile even wider.

"Shit. Why'd ya let me sleep so late?" Wolf asked, her sleep-fogged voice still possessed that curious accent that slipped out when she was tired or excited.

"We were gonna wake you up in a little while, La Oro. But we'll make Megaton by nightfall, no problem. You looked like you needed the sleep."

Wolf's visage was not as exquisite as it usually seemed upon waking. Dark circles under her eyes and the small lump on her forehead finally made her look like the average Waster. She was definitely still easy on the eyes.

"_Yes."_

The memory caused a sudden ache in his loins and Lee hastily ate that line of thought. No good could come of it. He turned back to Evelyn, who gave him a big smile, stood and walked over to him with that sensual sway of her hips. That only made him think about how it had felt when she had been writhing in his lap.

"God, I'm so hungry I could eat a fuckin' DeathClaw!" Rachel exclaimed as she hopped over the counter.

"It's almost ready." Evelyn said as she settled next to Leslie and laid her head on his arm.

"Aw, that's so cute, I think I'm gonna fucking puke." Rachel sneered and squatted in front of the slowly thickening pot of oatmush with bits of dried fruitnut scattered in it. "God, I'm so sick of this crap. The worst part is that I haven't been eatin' this regular in months and, when I do, it's this shit."

Wolf paused in the middle of checking her wound in an old hand-mirror, "Nathan said that his place had a refrigerator. We'll stock it with as much fresh brahmin meat and vegetables as we can reasonably afford. So please, just for a little bit, stop your bitching."

"Yeah, yeah. That's all you ever tell me. 'Stop your bitching, Rachel.' 'Don't start fights, Rachel.' 'Stop playing with yourself, Rachel.' You're worse than my mother." Rachel grumbled as she stirred the concoction.

"Uhm, I'm pretty sure she never caught you playing with yourself, Rach. That was me and you scarred me for life."

Lee looked down at the huge grin on Evelyn's face and burst into laughter. Wolf also looked incredulously at the normally reserved girl and collapsed onto her back with the force of her own laughter.

Rachel chuckled at her own expense and only replied with, "Haha. You know, it's sad when even the quiet one's a fuckin' smartass."

* * *

Lee's prediction came true when they arrived in Megaton well before sundown. All four Rangers were tired, sore, and longing for a relatively safe place to rest their feet. Of course, that didn't stop Rachel and Evelyn from commenting when they came within sight of the "famous" wall of Megaton.

"Wow. It's amazing that they managed to put all this together!" Evelyn exclaimed as she fairly skipped to the wall to place a hand against it.

_I guess some of us still have enough energy to skip anyway._ Lee smiled a bit at Evelyn's enthusiasm.

The going had been surprisingly easy after they had left The Mart. Lee had found some radscorpion, giant ant, and molerat tracks where the scavengers had feed on the raider bodies, but none of them led in the direction they were taking. There was the occasional sighting of a pack of wild dogs but none had bothered them. He hadn't even seen a bloatfly.

_Shit. You know it's hot and miserable when even a goddamn bloatfly won't pop up every now and then._

"How old do you think this metal is?" Evelyn asked.

"How would we know, Evie?! Last I checked, none of us were alive when they built this long fucker." Rachel huffed from her position a dozen meters behind Leslie.

Evelyn ignored Rachel, ability she was quickly gaining skill at, and trailed her hand along the wall as they walked, "I wonder where they got all this metal from?"

"They say that the original settlers raided an airport, whatever that is, for the material." Lee informed her.

"An airport is where people used to go to take flying machines to places all over the world, Lee! Man, it must have been so cool to ride one of those!"

Lee snorted, "Oh, yeah, Evelyn. Machines that fly. Next thing, you'll tell me that people even went to the moon!"

Rachel laughed, "I have to agree with Lee, shorty. That's pretty hard to believe!"

"Hey! I've seen pictures and video and everything!"

"What's... vi-dee-o?" Lee asked, brow furrowed at the sincerity in Evelyn's voice.

_Maybe she's right, but that's just so hard to believe._

"Fuck, Lee. What shit-bird town were you from? Even I know that's, like, moving pictures or something." Rachel snorted with mirth.

Wolf grunted, "Cut it out. We're almost there. Evelyn, you'll start teaching us some of the things you know about history. We could all use the lesson, I think."

"Yes, Wolf!" Evelyn replied cheerily and Rachel groaned quietly.

_Can't blame her. I like talking about new things as much as the next person but Evelyn goes on _forever_._

Leslie was leading the way around the wall and was the first to be greeted by the sight of Deputy Weld's powered up laser weapons.

"Welcome to, Megaton! Friendliest town around!" Weld said in his weird, programmed accent.

"Hey, Weld. I brought some friends this time."

"I can see that, partner. Why don't you mosey on around front and I'll get the sheriff out here to greet ya. Personal-like."

"God, I hate coming to Megaton," Rachel moaned dramatically and spit to punctuate her disgust. "Moriarty's serves water with like five percent booze, they spit in your fucking food in The Lantern, the supply shop is run by a nutcase, and this fuckin' robot talks like he's some kinda cowboy. Fuck."

"Shut the fuck up, Rachel." Wolf growled in the tone of voice that brooked no argument.

Someone, probably Stockholm, rang the bell in the code that alerted Sheriff Simms to new visitors that needed his personal inspection. Leslie studied the huge gate and wondered, as he had on the rare occasions he had to visit the place, why it was so big if it only ever opened enough to admit one person at a time. Even when he had seen caravans arrive, they had always been forced to stay outside the gates and the townies had come out to them. It seemed pretty stupid.

The Rangers cooled their heels for a few minutes until the gates let loose a tortured squeak as they opened enough to let the Sheriff of Megaton out. Simms was a grizzled, older man with a thick bushy beard. His skin was darker than Leslie's own and when he smiled the effect was distinctly predatory. The long duster and hat he wore was Regulator to the core. That knowledge had always made Leslie wary of the older man. He had met more than a few Regulators in his time and all of them had been unhinged in one way or another.

Simms narrowed his suspicious eyes at the four of them until he settled them on Lee.

"Hey, boy!" He grinned that unsettling grin and advanced quickly with an outstretched hand. "Did you find what you were looking for? We haven't heard anything new about The Wanderer in months!"

Lee shook the offered hand firmly and smiled in return, "I sure did, Simms. The Wanderer's hooked up with Reilly's Rangers. It's a merc group, one of the few good ones, operating out of the city. I'm a Ranger now and this is my crew." Lee gestured to each of them in turn. "Evelyn, Wolf, and Rachel."

Simms whistled as he got a good look at the three but then he scowled when he recognized Rachel, "I don't know about that one, Lee. She always stirs shit up when she's in town. I'll let you and the others carry your weapons but she does enough damage with her fists. I'm gonna have to take all her weapons and ammo. Sorry, kid."

Rachel sighed and started forward, "I figured as much, Simms. You gonna get that dirty fucker, Jeri-whore or whatever, to carry all this shit for-?"

Rachel was brought up short by Lee's arm blocking her path. Thankfully the combat armor prevented a hard, unyielding surface or his arm would have been firmly pressed against her breasts.

"What if I vouch for her, Simms? You know me. She won't so much as fire a single shot unless she's fired on."

"You really trust her to follow those rules?" Simms tone was full of disbelief as he stroked his glistening beard.

Lee turned to Rachel and smirked at her incredulous expression, "Of course."

It was hard to tell in the glare of the sun but he thought she blushed slightly at his words. There probably were few people that had given their trust to the volatile woman, especially in the back-stabbing trade of the mercenary, but after last night he knew that he could.

"Shit, alright, boy. I just hope you know what you're doing. Where the Hell are you all going to stay though? Even if you're selling off all that gear you're selling, I doubt you'll want to bunk in the common house."

Wolf produced a note from one of her pockets, "This should answer that question."

Simms eyebrows disappeared into the shade produced by his hat as he read the note. He handed it back and chuckled, "Well, can't really argue with that, can I? Lee, even if he doesn't come through but once every four or five months, knows the rules and I'm sure he's explained them to you. But I'll say it again just for the Hell of it. We won't have any problems as long as you behave. But, just know that if you misbehave then I'll have to misbehave and you won't like that." The Sheriff turned to Deputy Weld. "Weld, I know you've been listening. Create I.D. profiles on each of them. Tag them as residents slash business owners."

"Okey-dokey, Sheriff."

"See you around, Lee." Simms departed with a nod.

"Well, that went well." Wolf sighed. "Hopefully we can convince him to mount that dish once we get it put together."

"He's an agreeable sort, Wolf. It shouldn't be that hard once you explain the benefits." Lee explained as they strolled through the open gate.

"Welcome back, kid." Jericho's gravelly voice came from his right and Lee gave a lazy wave as he waited for his companions to enter. "Holy shit, kid! I knew you couldn't resist that sweet meat-tunnel after your first taste, but how the Hell did you score two pieces of ass like that? You really are the luckiest... motherfucker!"

Rachel grinned evilly at Jericho's slack-jawed expression, "Hey, Jeri-whore! Look what I have!"

The tall Ranger posed with her assault rifle and actually licked a long line down the barrel.

_Wow. I never noticed how long her tongue was._

"How the fuck did Simms let a pyscho bitch like you keep your fuckin' gat!?"

"Does it matter, shit for brains?! You want to come give us a kiss now, Daddy? That's what you told me to call you, ain't it?"

Lee watched with some amusement as Jericho spit in disgust and clutched his assault rifle to his chest defensively, "She's a bad apple, Lee. Rotten to the core. Watch your balls around that bitch. I'll see you around!"

Jericho spun sharply and made his way down the path to the village center, where the distinctive shape of the bomb lay in a pool of highly radioactive water, at what he probably thought was a nonchalant pace. Lee just thought he looked like a man trying to maintain his dignity.

Lee chuckled, "I don't think I've ever seen Jericho scared like that before, piernas. What the Hell did you do to him?"

Rachel grinned and clicked her tongue, "I got drunk at Moriarty's one night and, like a dumbass, I started flirtin' with him. One thing led to another and he took me back to his place. I was actually going to fuck that piece of shit but then the asshole had the nerve to offer me money if I would do all kinds of really sick shit to him. I turned him down and, when he got a little too handsy, I pulled a pair of pliers and applied them to his balls. I told him that, if it ever happened again, I would shove my gun up his ass and pull the trigger. That was the last visit I made to Megaton and that was almost five months ago."

Lee, Evelyn and Wolf were besides themselves with laughter after the second sentence of Rachel's story. It took at least a minute before Lee could even straighten to look a disgruntled Rachel in the eye.

"Well, it's not that fucking funny. People do dumb shit when they're drunk."

"No." Evelyn said, wiping the tears from her eyes with a big grin. "I'm laughing because that Jericho must have been really drunk or really stupid to not know that you would probably have done anything he wanted. Or am I mistaking you for Miss 'Treat me like a whore, Adam!'"

Lee roared with laughter and was doubled over again. Wolf actually put down her pack and sat on it with her head between her legs.

"Fuck you, Evie! You're just jealous that you haven't gotten laid since your family got to Rivet City! Maybe I should go tell Jericho that you _love_ taking it in the butt and the meat-tunnel at the same time!" Evelyn got a shocked look on her face and Rachel just grinned that same evil smile. "That's right. I eavesdropped on you and Lita! You're just as bad as I am, you freaky fucker! Or am I confusing you with Miss 'I never knew getting it from two guys at once was so fun.'"

Lee's eyes bulged out of his head and Wolf continued to howl with laughter at the look of sheer embarrassment on Evelyn's face.

_My eyes are going to pop out of my head if I stay with this quad._

"Lee, which one is our new base?" Evelyn said, looking around at the rusted metal structures rising around them.

"That one, I think." Lee said, pointing to the two-story building resting atop a platform to their left.

"Thanks!" Evelyn started toward, passing behind Rachel, and then broke into a sprint as a slap that sounded like a gunshot echoed through the area.

"Fuck!" Rachel screamed and jumped a foot into the air. "You little bitch!"

Evelyn laughed breathlessly as she hopped over the pipes to their immediate left and scrambled for the safety of the house. Wolf continued to laugh as Rachel slipped on her way over the pipes and landed belly-first on the dusty ground. The pale Ranger was now a shade of dusty brown and rose up in a coughing, snarling frenzy.

"I suppose we should make sure they don't kill each other." Wolf said, and rose from her atop her pack.

Wolf and Lee took the longer route by following the worn main path down twenty feet or so until they took the branching one to the left that led back up to the platform that held their new base. They rounded the corner to find Rachel pounding on the door and hurling obscenities.

"Let me in, Evie! I promise it'll only hurt for a little while!" Rachel shouted as she smacked the door with her fist.

"Now you sound like my first boyfriend! Hell no!" Evelyn replied.

"Goddamnit! I'm gonna spank you so good, you're gonna thank me for it!" Rachel roared and then the door opened.

"Say hello to my metal friend!"

"Fu-" Rachel's curse was stopped as a weighted net enveloped her.

Lee and Wolf broke into fresh bouts of laughter as Rachel spluttered and flopped backward onto her ass.

"I'm going to get you all back for this."

* * *

There was a moment of disorientation when Lee woke to find himself in a small, very dark room. He slowed his breathing and reached for the comforting presence of his tomahawk and knife. Once his hands were around the familiar grips, Lee's mind quickly ordered itself.

The quartet of Rangers had, after helping Rachel escape from the weighted net, quickly acquainted themselves with their new home. Like most homes, there was a large open space that some called the 'living room'. The kitchen area, offset to the left of the rear of the living room, was small but well-maintained. Stairs led to the upper level walkway that ringed the living room. The walkway offered plenty of space for equipment and spare mattresses. There were two upstairs rooms, the larger one was obviously meant to be the bedroom while the smaller seemed to be a storage shed. All four had stared in amazement at the partially restored vehicle that someone had chosen to store there.

The Wanderer had cleaned the place out very well before he left. There were a dozen .32 rounds, a handful of shotgun shells, and an old-set of mercenary leathers. A box of Cram and one of Sugar Bombs rounded out the food that was available. One benefit that they had all been glad to discover was that Wadsworth, the Mister Handy that Evelyn referred to as 'her metal friend', had several gallons of pure water stored in a water barrel. They had all drank their fill and then promptly run to the bathrooms that were on the opposite end of town. Evie, after seeing the state of the women's facility, had made it a priority to find someway to rig a private toilet for the Rangers.

Lee yawned and pulled back the thick canvas curtain that separated the area of the balcony from the open. None of them had been able to summon the energy to go to Moira's and begin a long day of haggling. As soon as the gear was put away and the sleeping arrangements made, all four of them had fallen into exhausted slumber.

It was only after the smell of bacon hit his nostrils that Lee realized what had woken him up. The air was hot and stuffy so Lee assumed it was at least noon. He hadn't slept for more than six hours a night in years.

_Wow. It feels pretty damn good, actually._

His stomach growled noisily to remind him of where his priorities should be. The Ranger, dressed solely in his worn boxer-briefs, untangled himself from his blanket and made his way down the stairs. The doors to Evelyn's and Wolf's rooms were open already. Rachel's curtain, on the other side of the balcony from him, was pulled back to reveal an empty sleeping pallet.

Lee was greeted by Evelyn and Wolf as they sat at the table being served by an apron-wearing Rachel. The young man's eyebrows rose at the sight of the tiny smile on Rachel's usually scowling face.

"Hey, kid! I cooked for your ass, even after you guys laughed so hard yesterday! Aren't I sweet?" Rachel actually grinned sweetly before turning around to reveal that she was only wearing a pair of tight shorts.

"It's really good, Lee!" Evelyn mumbled through a mouthful of food.

_It's weird that I don't even bat an eyelash at all the naked woman flesh around me. Maybe that's why they do it?_

There were actually several plates topped with food. Something that people up here called 'pancakes' filled one, fruit-nut covered in jam on another, and the last was overflowing with several different ways of preparing brahmin meat. Rachel's sunny demeanor should have warned him that something was wrong, but his stomach overruled his well-honed paranoia as he dug in with a vengeance.

It was the first clenching, gurgling sensation in his gut that told him something was _terribly_ wrong. Rachel just grinned at the looks overcoming all their faces as she calmly ate from her bowl of Sugar Bombs.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked with such an innocent face that Lee would have laughed if he weren't clutching his guts.

"You... didn't!" Wolf moaned and lurched to her feet.

"It's too bad Evie didn't get that toilet fixed. That's a long run to the bathrooms and you didn't even get dressed."

"Fuck... you!" Evelyn groaned and stumbled to the door.

Lee growled and followed his fellow ailing Rangers out into the bright daylight.

* * *

Several hours later, after thoroughly scrubbing themselves free of the stench of Rachel's prank, Echo sat at the living room table to discuss their first moves.

"We'll need to move fast and hit all of our objectives close together. News travels fast in small places like this and we'll probably have a rep before you can spit." Wolf leaned her elbows on the table and pressed her fingertips together. "Evie and me'll go to the outfitter's... what's it called, Lee?"

"Craterside Supply. A woman named Moira runs it. She's nice but strange. Maybe a little loca."

"Ah. Dangerous?" Wolf asked, her lips curving into a frown.

"Only if you agree to any of her crazy ideas."

"Okay. Then Evie and me'll go there and unload all of the loot we got and then get to work on buying all the shit we need to get this place in shape." Wolf fixed her beautiful eyes on Lee and sighed. "Lee, I need you and Rachel to talk to Simms about mounting the relay. Get his permission, butter him up with how much of an asset The Rangers can be to the town and how many caps will start flowing in. Then I want you to go to Moriarty and lay the deal on the table. From what Nathan told me, he respects strength and you and Rachel obviously have a reputation in this town. Me and Evie don't look like hardened mercs and I've realized that might work against us. Rachel, you watch Lee's back. Silent, but deadly, okay?"

"Right, boss." Rachel was all business now.

"Sidearms only. Just because we _can_ walk around town with our long iron doesn't mean we should unless absolutely necessary. We've drawn enough attention already and we'll just draw more the longer we're in town. Let's make it _positive _attention."

There were nods all around and Echo stood to begin their duties. Lee was the first out of the door and cursed as the sounds of dozens of people shouting, arguing, and just being people, assaulted his ears. He went to the railing to the right of the door and looked down into the crowded "square" that wasn't really square. A tightly packed crowd was making room for a heavily muscled, bare-chested man with a handcart stacked with what could have been anything from beans to grain.

"What's all this?" Wolf asked incredulously.

"Fuck. What month is it? They're kinda early, aren't they, Lee?" Rachel spat and shook her head.

"The food caravans from the South are making their way through this section of the Waste." Lee stepped in to answer Wolf's original question. "They only stop in Megaton and TenPenny Tower. All the local merchants set-up shop either here or there. They spread the supplies through the Capital Wasteland for whoever can afford it. The caravan masters hire a lot of mercs and guard companies. That's why there's so many people. It's the closest you'll get to a festival around here. Everyone'll be fat with caps and food for a month or so."

"Oh. This affect our plans any?" Wolf leaned over the railing and Lee averted his eyes from her profile.

"Hell no. You guys just be careful about accepting any offers of help moving the shit until me and Lee get over to Moira's." Rachel nodded and adjusted her gunbelt. "Alright, Lee. Let's go find Simms. If I remember correctly, he'll be inside the gate giving everyone that fucking speech."

"See you guys later," Lee nodded at Evelyn and Wolf in farewell before following Rachel.

Simms was right where Rachel had predicted. They came upon him just at the end of delivering his speech to half a dozen mercs in filthy brown leather being led by a man in pre-War clothes in excellent condition. Each of the men, including the clean one, gave Rachel admiring stares. Several of them even whistled and received a scathing glare in reply. A couple of the men also gave Lee curious glances as he stoically assessed each man's equipment and body language to gain a cursory threat level. Once the group passed, the Rangers approached Simms.

"Afternoon, sheriff," Lee greeted the older man with a polite nod.

"Afternoon, Lee, Rachel. Something I can do for you?" He got to the point with the speed of a man that had a lot on his plate.

"We were wondering if we could put a relay on top of the tower. It'll let us stay in touch with Ranger HQ and the town can lease it out for a dozen caps a week once we get other relays set up in Rivet City and other towns."

Simms stroked his beard and nodded, "That would definitely help with trade and bandit warnings. You've got that kind of workin' tech and someone who can repair it?"

Lee nodded, "She'll even teach whoever you want how to fix it themselves when we're out on contracts."

"Alright, Lee. I trust you. Hook it up but you'd better let me know when you get a line set-up between here and Rivet. I haven't gotten a chance to ream that Council, or whatever the fuck they have up there, about them trying to price gouge for fresh mirelurk."

"Will do, Simms." Lee extended his hand so they could shake on it before turning to lead Rachel down towards the crowded square.

"Was it supposed to go that smooth?!" She raised her voice to be heard over the crowd because she had yet to realize just how sharp Leslie's hearing was.

"I thought it might! Simms likes me for some reason!" The two ascended the first flight of stairs that would deposit them near Moriarity's.

"That's right! I haven't gotten my shipment of antibiotics so you'll just have to rub that cream on it until I do!" Doc Church yelled from his doorway at a flushed female merc that he was pushing out of his doorway.

"Fuck you, Doc!" She shouted and flipped him off as he closed the clinic door in her face.

"I think I'm going to stick with fucking Rangers from now on, Lee. There's too much weird shit going around."

"That's kinda incestuous, ain't it?" Lee smirked as he turned back to look at the puzzled look on her face.

"None of us are related, I don't think."

"I meant that we're supposed to be like a family."

"Who told you that, kid?! Ha! Lita and Myra already argue about who's going to fuck you first!" Lee must have made a face because Rachel laughed as they finally reached the level of Moriarty's. "Come on, Lee! You and Reiner are like clean water to all these horny girls. Neither one of you seem to give a damn one way or another if girls like you and that is one of the quickest ways to turn a nice girl into a total whore." Rachel grinned and winked at him. "Or a total whore into a _nasty_ whore."

"What the Hell's gotten into you today, piernas?" Lee laughed and shook his head.

"What do you mean?"

"I've never seen you so not... grumpy. Not even after Goldberg... uh... Goldberg'd you."

Rachel snorted laughter and quickly covered her mouth before glaring at Lee. "Whatever, Lee."

Lee raised his arms and let them flop back to his sides as she stalked past him, "Women."

The landing outside of Moriarty's was populated by several groups. One of locals, a dozen outland mercs, and a quartet of Talon Company. It was easy to tell the outland mercs from Capital Waste mercs. They outlanders usually wore thick metal-covered bracers on their forearms and carried short swords that Lee's father told him were modeled after machetes. Ammunition was really scarce the further south one went from all the factories up north. Fighting with naked steel was becoming increasingly common and the skill-level was quickly growing. That was one of the advantages Lee had found he possessed over the majority of fighters up here.

Moriarty's doors were wide open and the heat waves rolling out of the interior were almost visible. They entered side-by-side and forced a path through the crush of bodies to the bar. Why anyone would squish themselves into the room and stay there was a mystery to Lee. Gob's sad face was harried as he rushed from one end of the bar to the other to fill orders. There weren't enough glasses for everyone and most people had to settle with having measured portions of liquor poured into their canteens. Moriarty was standing next to his cap-box with the ever-present sawed-off clutched in one hand as he looked over the crowd with a huge grin. A sudden, raucous roar from upstairs caught Moriarty's attention.

"Manny! Get up there and tell those boyos that their hour's almost up!" Lee could never tell if Moriarty's accent was real or fake. He had never met anyone else that talked like that but the same could be said of Moira Brown.

The man Moriarty was speaking to, one of the hulking toughs that the unofficial "mayor" of Megaton hired every year during this seasons, nodded from his place by the stairs before ascending them.

Rachel and Lee sidled up to Moriarty's area and were met by the slight turn of his sawed-off's barrels.

"Don't I know you two?" Moriarty squinted and cursed as he got a good look at Rachel's face. "You're that lass that said she was gonna show me a good time and then disappeared. Give me one reason I shouldn't kick your teasin' little ass outta here!"

"Because she's here with me and we have a lot of caps that could go in your pocket depending on how our little meeting goes." Lee answered for Rachel and sat a canvas bag containing five hundred caps down on the bar. Moriarty's eyes seemed to sparkle as he gazed at the bag.

"Turk! Watch the box!" Another tough, this one with skin that was so dark it was almost purple looking, came to take Moriarty's place.

"Follow me, lad and lady." Moriarty was all politeness now as he led them to his office area behind the bar.

It was a tiny room and only had a single seat at the computer desk. Moriarty sat in it and spun to face them.

"Alright, what kinda deal are you proposing?"

"We're mercs. Reilly's Rangers and we accepted a contract to buy back Gob from you."

"Really now." Moriarty leaned back in his chair, reached into a pocket to retrieve a cigarette, lit it, and then took a big puff. He exhaled before he spoke again. "Gob's not a slave, you know. I offered him a place outta the kindness o' me soul." Lee kept his face impassive as he watched Moriarty take another puff. "Damn, you're a cold-eyed little fucker. How much are ye offerin'?"

"How much do you want?"

Moriarty barked laughter, "A thousand."

"Five hundred." Lee made a counter offer despite the fact that they were authorized to pay double that.

"Nine hundred."

"Six hundred."

"Eight hundred."

Lee gestured to Rachel and they turned away from the smirking man.

"I don't like the way he's looking at us. Like he's playing." Rachel hissed, her eyes glittered predatorily.

"Me neither. I think he's gonna try to fuck us over. Be ready." Lee turned back and nodded, "Seven-fifty is as high as we'll go."

"Deal. Count them out." Moriarty leaned forward and watched as Lee produced another 500-cap bag from his belt. "Oh, hold on there, son. I don't think I'll be able to help ye after all." Moriarty's sawed-off was pointed squarely at Lee's stomach now.

_Shit. He's faster than I remember._

"I'm not gonna take all your caps. Just one of those bags there to teach you Rangers a lesson about who runs things in this town. I heard you guys wanna set up shop here but ye ain't gonna think ye can get anything ye want." Moriarty licked his lips lewdly. "Maybe if your tall friend there agreed to whore herself out for me for a few months I might reconsider."

"Why do you want Gob so bad? He's just a ghoul." Lee said, amazed at how smoothly he said it.

"That's exactly why, kid. I never realized how handy they are to have around. The bastard eats about as much as a bird, doesn't need medical care, and I can beat the shit out of him daily and all he needs is a little bath by the bomb to be right as rain the next day. You can't get human help that good nowhere. I ain't givin' his rotting arse up and you can believe that." Moriarty pulled back the hammers on his shotgun and gestured to the floor. "Now set one of those bags down like a good lad and you can be on your merry, eh?"

Lee felt Rachel tense against his shoulder and placed a placating hand on her thigh before he did as he was instructed.

"Now turn around and walk out of here nice and slow. I don't want to see either of you in here for a couple of weeks. Give your temper some time to cool off after this lesson."

The pair turned and walked out of the room. Each of them stiffly made their way out of the saloon and into the open air. Rachel let loose a furious shriek and put a huge dent into the wall beside the door.

"Come on, Rachel. Let's go meet the others." Lee said calmly as he took her arm and led the way.

"Why? So we can tell her we fucked it up _and_ lost five hundred caps? Fuck!" Rachel growled and kicked a pile of metal blocks someone had left on the ramp over the edge.

"Are you with me, Rachel? You're ready to do what we gotta do to get it done? No matter what?"

Rachel turned and one of the most serious expression's Lee had ever seen came over her pale, lovely face, "Fuck yes."

The two clasped their right hands between them and closed the distance so that their forearms were pressed against the other's chest. They stared into each other's eyes and nodded as they shared sudden communion.

"No matter what." Rachel whispered.

"No matter what." Lee said and, given their difference in height, it wasn't really his fault that he suddenly realized how soft her lips looked.

The sudden urge to bite her full bottom lip almost overcame him and something, primal instinct maybe, told him that she wouldn't mind it in the slightest.

"What are you two doing?!" Evie shouted and the two separated as though they had been shocked by a slave collar. "Come see all the stuff we got!"

* * *

Moriarty groaned as he got up to piss in the middle of the night. He never used to have to go in the middle of the night almost every damn night but it had gotten worse the older he got. The only consolation was the fact that he was three thousand caps closer to retiring to a place he had scouted out in the Pennsylvanian Wastes. There was a small city up there, a real damn city, and it wasn't as expensive to live in as Harrisburg. All he needed was another good caravan season and he'd have enough caps to live the rest of his life eating good food and fucking the best women. The only sour note in his otherwise happy day was realizing how long it had taken him.

Moriarty wrapped a cloak around himself and made sure to have the hammers of his sawed-off pulled in case anyone got any funny ideas. He had a solid reputation in town for being someone you didn't want to fuck with but people were capable of anything with enough Psycho or Jet in them. He was so used to being one of the big sticks in town that he almost shit himself when a soft voice called to him only a few feet from the doorway.

"Who's there?!" He barked, turning with his sawed-off in both hands.

"It's Rachel. I was here before with that kid. We got to talking and my commander told me to take up your offer. I figured I'd offer you some of the goods early. I was about to knock and see if anybody was up but then you came out."

The girl came out of the shadows and pulled back the hood of her cloak. She was definitely a looker and had pale skin that was an increasing rarity out in the Wastes. Then she pulled back the sides of the cloak to reveal her bare breasts and underwear. She had smaller ones than Nova but they were high, tight, and topped with pale, pink nipples that were hard and shiny from the cold.

"Alright, lass. You go into my office and wait for me. I've gotta take a piss."

"I could come with you," Rachel stepped closer, her dark eyes shining in the starlight. "I could hold it for you and then... clean it off."

The way she licked her lips caused Moriarty's erection to throb to the rhythm of his heartbeat.

"Who am I to turn down that kind of service? Come on?" Moriarty said and wrapped an arm around the girl's waist as they made their way to the bathrooms.

It irked him that she was taller than him by more than a few inches but that wouldn't stop him from fucking her until she could barely stand. He always surprised them with what he was packing in his pants.

"Damn. Why the Hell is it so dark in here!?" Moriarty cursed when they entered the men's room. "Fuckin' Simms needs to hire a mechanic that's not older than the Virgin Mary."

"Are you going to talk or are you going to come over here and whip your dick out?" Rachel asked impatiently as she waited by the urinal.

"I've never been one to turn down a lady before." He replied with a charming grin as he sauntered over to the urinal.

Rachel was as good as her word and even undid his pants for him. She took him in hand and gasped appreciatively.

"Wow. You could kill someone with this thing." She purred before she whispered in his ear, "Why don't you grab my ass, big boy?"

Moriarty's cock jumped in her hand as he placed his free hand on a deliciously tight cheek.

"Both hands, please," Rachel groaned.

_Oh, she's going to make me so much money!_ Moriarty though greedily as he dropped his sawed-off on the floor just as he started to go.

"That's right. Just let go." Rachel breathed heavily as Moriarty moaned with pleasure.

Once he was done, he smiled, "I guess now you want to clean me off, lass."

"You should have taken the deal." A voice came out of nowhere and would have scared the piss out of him if he had any left.

"Who-" Before he could finish the thought, he felt Rachel's arms enfolding his neck in a vice-like grip.

Moriarty reached for his sawed-off and whimpered as he realized it wasn't there.

_I'm gonna skin these bastards alive!_

Moriarty dug his fingers into the woman's forearm but they were protected by fucking leather he hadn't even seen. He was stronger than people gave him credit for, so he didn't panic. There was no way she could keep the grip. He could even still breath. What the Hell was she hoping to accomplish?! Moriarty pried at her forearm but he couldn't get a decent grip. He pushed back and grinned in delight when he fell on top of the fucking cunt. She grunted and he thought her arms loosened a little but then her legs wrapped around his waist. _Now_ he was having trouble breathing and his pulse hammered in his skull. In fact, he felt really weak and tired now. He noticed with an odd detachment that his arms and legs were barely putting up a struggle.

"Big boy?" It was the kid from before!

"Fuck you, Lee." Rachel grunted as she squeezed even harder.

_When I get out of this-_

That was Colin Moriarty's last thought.


	10. X

The sound of his canvas curtain being stealthily pulled aside brought Lee to instant wakefulness. He eased his hand to the hilt of his knife. Suddenly, the curtain was completely thrown to the side and Wolf's voice lowered to a displeased growl.

"What the _fuck_ did you two do?"

Lee bounced to his feet in a single motion, tomahawk and knife in respective hands, and frowned, "What are _you_ talking about?"

Rachel's curtain slowly rolled back; the tall Ranger scratched beneath her left breast while simultaneously yawning and sitting up.

"I went to see if maybe Evie and me could talk to Moriarty. Play the innocent damsel role and no one's seen the fucker all day. Nova's freakin' out and Gob's nearly beside himself trying to keep her calm." Wolf stepped closer until her nose was almost touching Lee's. "So what the _fuck_ did you do to him?"

Rachel met Lee's eyes and shrugged nonchalantly.

"I took care of the problem." Lee told her.

The scout saw the backhand coming, the tension in her shoulder and face, and he let her do it. There was a quick flash of light, the woman could hit really hard, and then he was facing her again.

"Don't go behind my back again, Leslie. I'm the team leader and if you have any ideas about how to 'take care' of a problem, you bring them to me. I've kept the chain of command pretty slack around here but this kind of shit isn't going to fly. You get me?"

"Yes, ma'am." Lee said as his spine straightened almost involuntarily.

Wolf turned her nearly shining eyes to Rachel, who was gaping at the scene, "Did you hear that, Rachel?"

"Yeah... er... ma'am."

"Good." Wolf stepped back out of Leslie's personal space and wiped her forehead. "It's hot as fuck in here and I'm going to go find Simms and see if he's even going to investigate the fucker's disappearance. Twenty laps around the outside of the perimeter before you eat. One glass of water before you go out. That's it. I already told Wadsworth, so don't think he'll let you get any." Rachel spluttered and looked as though she would say something but was cut off by another glare from Wolf. "That's right. Evie programmed him so that my orders are first; so don't think of telling him to fuck off. She also rigged up a non-lethal stunner on him and he's authorized to use it. After you get done the circuit we talked about yesterday, and Winthrop will be hovering outside keeping track, I want you to go help Evie get that dish set up. Get to it."

Wolf made her way down the stairs and out the door as the two chastised mercenaries watched. Lee sighed and pulled on his fatigue pants. He should have known that Wolf would instantly connect the dots but he was somewhat surprised at her reaction.

"Jesus, Lee! What the fuck crawled up her ass?" Rachel cursed indignantly as she covered her chest with an off-white tank-top. "This town'll run a lot smoother with that prick gone."

"Hell if I know." He crouched down to slip on his boots. "It's probably us doing it by ourselves."

"Well, isn't that what we're supposed to do? That's what they taught us back at headquarters." Rachel's tone was definitely petulant.

"Yeah, but that's only when the quad leader's disabled. She was certainly capable. We just didn't think they'd have the stomach for it, remember?"

"Fuck, man! She should be happy!"

Lee laughed, "C'mon, Piernas. Let's get this over with."

Lee buckled his gunbelt and checked the cylinder of his Telly before sliding it back into its holster. It was not comfortable, doing laps with his sidearm, but he was definitely not going to depend on Jericho and Sheriff Simms saving him if bullets started to fly. Wadsworth greeted them in his artificially cheerful voice and watched them drink their allotted glass of water before following them through the door. The pair did fifty warm-up jumping jacks and stretched before starting their punishment.

It wasn't a particularly hot day by Lee's reckoning but, as usual, there wasn't a hint of a cloud in the sky. The sun beat down relentlessly on every surface that was shaded and heated it to a temperature that would be uncomfortable bare skin. Megaton was as full as it had been yesterday but the upper walkways, through which their jogging course ran, was sparsely enough populated to allow them to maintain a slow jog. They received stares and more than a few lewd comments were directed at Rachel before the pale Ranger turned a hateful glare on the hecklers. During their first lap, they saw Evelyn working on a pile of electrical equipment beneath the defunct radio tower.

Lee trailed behind Rachel and tried to keep his eyes on everything but the way her ass looked as she moved. They were on their fifth lap when Lee had enough and decided to pass her. Before he could, a large man stepped directly into Rachel's path. Instead of going around him, the volatile Ranger skidded to a halt. They were on a landing slightly above the trailer where the oldest people in Megaton lived. Lee instinctively checked behind him to make sure their escape wasn't cut off before turning to evaluate the situation.

The man that had stopped Rachel was tall, really tall, and had arms as large as Lee's head. He was as pale as Rachel and his clothing, very dark brown leathers, made his complexion stand out even more. His hair was dark and shorn short in a style very similar to Rachel's as well. Unlike Rachel, this man had clear blue eyes that sparkled in the sunlight as he gazed down at the Ranger who's arm he held. There were probably very few people in the Wastes, man or woman, that could do that to her. He had a square face, with high cheekbones, that was marred by a single livid scar that ran down the left side of his jaw.

A woman, shorter by at least half a foot than the man, flanked the scene. She had that particular combination of desperate, crazy, and paranoid that led Lee to believe she was a Waster. Her long, thin face seemed as though it had been sucked dry of all fat. She was almost bald except for a thin, dark brown braid that ran from the nape of her neck almost to mid-back. It was an odd hairstyle that Lee had never seen before.

Both of the strangers were definitely mercenaries; Lee thought he could smell the scent of gun oil from where he stood. The man had an honest-to-God sword strapped to his back. It was shaped differently than a Chinese sword but he didn't know enough about them to accurately guess what kind of sword it was. What looked like a .32-caliber pistol was strapped to the woman's gunbelt but the rounds seemed slightly too large for normal bullets.

The hairs on the back of Lee's neck stood on end. Both of these people were dangerous; very dangerous.

"Fuck..." Rachel groaned melodramatically and took a step back that caused her to bump into Lee's chest.

The taller Ranger stopped there, her rear brushing against his side, as they faced off with the strangers. Lee kept his eyes on the woman as the man spoke in a deep, rough voice in a guttural language that was completely unknown to him. To his amazement, Rachel responded in the same language.

"I only talk English now, Toshiba." Rachel said after a lengthy burst of the strange language from the man, Toshiba.

His voice in English was even rougher, as though someone had scraped his throat with sandpaper, "Yes, you do. And quite well."

Neither the man's expression nor tone changed at all but Rachel bristled at the inherent criticism.

"Fuck you, Toshiba."

"I see the time away from your Clan has only worsened your tongue, Katya."

_Katya_?

"Call me Rachel."

Toshiba nodded his head slightly, "How have you been?"

"Fine." Rachel's voice went flat but her back was tight with tension.

"Young Christian informed me that he ran into you a month ago. Was it necessary to break his arm?"

"Fuck that little bitch. I told him not to fuck with me but, like most of the fucking Clan, he thought I should be his good little bitch and follow orders." Lee could almost feel Rachel's smile, "You'd think, after all those years growing up and hearing about me, that little fucker would have known to take me a little more seriously. He's lucky I left him one arm to jack off with."

Toshiba shook his head slightly and the narrow-faced woman frowned as she adjusted her stance.

_She likes the quick-draw and she's expecting trouble._

"Young Christian always was a little too eager to please the Elders. Despite your exile, your bloodline is highly sought after. All will be forgiven, if you are brought back by a freelancer." Now the man's eyes took on a hungry look. "You can come back with me, Rachel. I will not expect you to defer to me in all things, but you will only take up arms in defense of the Clan. Some things are out of my control. It will be a much better life than starving to death or dying in a hole with no one to honor your memory."

The silent woman cast a quick glance at Toshiba and pursed her lips even more.

_Ah, she's not happy about that offer._

"Women's honor revolves around our ability as broodmares and homemakers. That is not the glory I shall gain, Toshiba." Lee had to school his features to hide his surprise at Rachel's change in tone and speech. "Did he tell you that, outlander? Did he tell you that all of the respect you will ever be given depends on your ability to bear children? Yes, it will only be _given_; not received as your due."

"Better than out here." The unnamed woman's accent was strange and, oddly, reminded him a little of Wolf's when she was tired.

Rachel shook her head, "You'll hear that a lot when you get there. 'It's better than out there.' I heard that my whole life and, somehow, it was perfectly acceptable for men to go out into the world and experience all of the things you take for granted now but probably think nothing of. Someone once told me that life isn't fair but it isn't conniving about it like men."

"You are as defiant as ever, Acid-Tongue." Toshiba glanced in Lee's direction. "And what is he? Boy, have you slept with this one yet?"

The back of Rachel's neck began to noticeably pink before she replied, "Not that it's any of your fucking business, but no. He's my... partner."

"Oh? Have you found a band of mercenaries willing to put up with you? Did you tell them about the other times you joined up with crews?"

"Shut up, Toshiba." Rachel growled as she cracked her knuckles by squeezing her hands into fists.

"I see you haven't." Toshiba looked right into Lee's eyes as he spoke, "Did she tell you about when she first struck out on her own? How she had to prostitute herself in order to eat because she didn't have any weapons, armor and barely any clothes. How she made it the fifteen miles to the nearest town is beyond me but it says a lot about her perseverance, doesn't it?"

"Shut up, Toshiba."

"Did she tell you how she finally got weapons and armor and her first decent amount of currency? How she slept with half a dozen mercs in one night while staying in their bunker and then repaid them by slitting their throats? I wouldn't have believed it if the person that told me wasn't Shining Mountain."

"Shut your fucking mouth, Toshiba!" Rachel barked and Lee took a breath and relaxed.

He knew that tone.

"That's how she's made it this far, you know? It's not because she's as tough or as experienced as she pretends. It's because she lulls the foe into complacency with her sex."

"Fuck you!"

Rachel darted at the man with a blinding display of speed. The two spun like dancers for a second before Rachel was flat on her stomach with Toshiba stretched out on top of her. Lee started forward to drag the big guy off of her, or at least try, when a flash of movement brought his attention back to the quiet woman. His sidearm was clearing his holster as fast as Lee could accelerate but the woman beat him to it. Her pistol was aimed dead center on his chest while his was hovering somewhere just beneath her navel.

_If she had wanted me dead, she would have gut-shot me and then followed it up with one to the head._

It was a sobering thought but Lee didn't let it waver his resolve.

"Let me go, you big piece of shit!" Rachel's furious, slightly muffled shout broke some of the tension he was feeling.

"I see you have been neglecting your judo and jujitsu. For shame, Katya. I hope, under the enlightening rays of Lord Buddha himself, that you have not been learning what passes for unarmed combat among the outlanders."

"Fuck. You. Toshiba."

"It is regrettable, Katya, that you remain so stubborn. You would have made a good second or third wife. You are much too volatile to be a First. We are on our way back to the Clan now to be bonded before the Elders. Lily shall be my First and I shall remain among the Clan until she has borne my first child. If I am lucky, it will be male. But that is beside the point."

Toshiba released Rachel and stepped to Lily's side. Rachel slowly picked herself up but remained where she was and would not meet Lee's questioning stare.

"We will be among the caravans for as long as they remain. You may seek me out now and I will gladly take you as Second. Once I reach the Clan, my offer shall be forever rescinded." Toshiba placed his hand on his companion's arm and lowered her weapon. "Peace, brother. I would never harm one of the Clan."

Lee holstered his weapon with a nod and watched as Toshiba put an arm around Lily's shoulders.

"Let us take our leave. Japanese is not an easy language to learn and you should practice as much as you can before we go home."

The two strange people walked away, but not before Lily glared murderously at Rachel. Rachel, for her part, just stared at the ground for a long time. Lee was getting worried, and was about to say something, when she looked up at him with angry eyes that he hadn't seen directed at him for days.

"Let's finish these fucking laps."

* * *

Rachel barely spoke more than a single, short sentence to Lee for the rest of their punishment. He wanted to ask her if her name was really Katya and just what Toshiba had meant by 'Shining Mountain', but he could feel the pressure waiting to explode beneath the surface. There had to be a way for her to let off steam slowly so she didn't end up getting them all kicked out of town. Lee let the problem roll around in his mind while they went about the business of the day.

After quick sponge-baths, the two found Evelyn squatting beside a complex block of electronic equipment she had set up a dozen or so feet from the Common House. A complicated array of pulleys and cord had been rigged around the fragile-looking radio tower that protruded high above Megaton's wall. The petite Ranger flipped up her welder's mask and grinned through a mask of caked grime.

"Wow. Wolf was mad at you guys." She looked around and leaned in to whisper conspiratorially, "Did you really do it?"

Lee nodded and Evelyn giggled; which was more than a little unsettling. "I haven't heard anything but terrible things about him. He deserved it." Evie frowned as she studied Rachel's expression. "Is everything alright, Rach?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Even Rachel's voice seemed to have been leeched of emotion. "You do all this yourself?"

Lee had to admit that it was hard to believe that Evelyn had managed to rig up the complicated mass of ropes, pulleys, and swings that ascended to almost the very top of the tower.

"No, silly. I paid one of the Stahls, I can't remember his name, to climb up there with the first of the guide-ropes. He helped me get most of the initial set-up done and then I told him to get lost when he started getting kinda creepy and asking me if I had any Jet. But I don't need him now that you guys are here to help me!"

"Just what are we supposed to do?" Lee honestly thought that Evelyn looked like she could have it all done by herself in a day or two.

"I have to mount the support frame for the dish first. One of you will have to stay on the ground and make sure all the supports hold and run parts up to us. The other will have to help me fit, weld, and hook up cable. Once we get started, it shouldn't take that long. Who's going up with me?" Evelyn was practically vibrating with excitement.

"You're lighter, Rachel. Besides, you probably know more about welding than me anyway because I know shit about it."

Rachel shrugged, "Show me how to use the harness."

_Okay, she must be _really_ upset. She usually takes any opportunity to have someone acknowledge that she's better than them._

Lee watched as Evie demonstrated how to wear the safety harness and attach to one of the ropes leading up to tower. Apparently, you pulled yourself by one rope and it made ascending much easier because of a pulley system. Lee honestly had no idea how that worked but he trusted Evelyn. Next, Evelyn told him what order she wanted the parts in several times before showing him that one arm waving meant to attach the next part and send it up; while two arms meant that the pair was coming down for one reason or another. Within a few minutes, Rachel and Evelyn were cinching the straps of their harnesses tight. They both turned to clip themselves to their respective lines and gave Lee a splendid view of their backsides. Evelyn's far outdid Rachels but something about the way the taller woman's legs tapered into her bottom was mesmerizing. Lee shook his head as Evleyn turned and gave him a big grin.

"I'm all set, Lee. Just remember to send me up with a nice, easy motion. Too fast and the whole thing might fall apart."

A cold sweat formed on Lee's brow at Evelyn's warning. The young woman, on the other hand, looked positively giddy as Lee grabbed the end of the line near where a pulley had been attached to the ground. He pulled the line slowly toward him and watched as Evelyn walked up the wall of the common house before she bobbed through the air in time with his pulls. Rachel did not comment on his technique even once during the time it took Evie to get to her designated spot. The pale Ranger wordlessly pulled on a pair of heavy work gloves and began ascending the wall. She hung in the air like a puppet as Leslie hauled her up the tower.

Time seemed to go by very slowly as he waited for the two to signal him to deliver the equipment. The sun was bright but he thought he caught the occasional flash of Evelyn's portable welder. He was attaching mounting brackets for the dish itself to the sling when Wolf's voice called to him. There were very few people near the Common House right now, but it irritated Lee that he hadn't heard her coming over the background buzz of the crowds. Lee raised an arm to absently wave her over before he began pulling the brackets up to the waiting women.

"How's it coming?" Wolf asked, stopping somewhere behind his back.

Lee could feel her eyes on his back as he worked. He had taken off his shirt after the second haul because there was no sense in getting it completely filthy with sweat.

_I wonder if she likes what she sees. Okay, stop thinking about that, estúpido._

"It's going good, as far as I can tell. Once she gets the dish up, she just has to make sure all the connections and, uh, tel-o-metry is good and then fire it up."

"Good. And it's telemetry, Lee. We don't need to give Rach any more excuses to act superior."

The package reached the workers and Lee waited for them to give the 'all-clear' downward pointing gesture before he brought the harness back down.

_Should I tell her about Toshiba? Rachel wouldn't like that but Wolf's our leader. She should know that something's going on._

"Hey, Wolf. Something happened with Rachel while we were jogging."

"Yeah..."

"Well, we ran into somebody that she grew up with. A tough-looking bastard named Toshiba. Taller than Rachel, really big muscles, scar on his face, blue eyes. He was with a girl that looked just as tough if a lot scrawnier. About my height, bald except for a little tail at the base of her neck, definitely looks like a Waster. They talked a lot but I missed most of it because I was watching the woman, Lily. She had that 'I'm a crazy merc' look in her eye. Rachel and Toshiba ended up getting into a tussle and Lily outdrew me when my attention was drawn," Lee avoided the thought that she was probably just faster than he was, "He didn't hurt her. Something about not hurting someone from their village, but he offered her the chance to go home with him. I think he's got a hard-on for her in the worst way."

"Do you think he'll be trouble?" Wolf looked worried when Lee turned to her after getting the harness ready for its next load.

"I doubt it. I got the feeling he didn't like being in town very much and the only reason he was in here was because of Rachel. He seems like he takes his honor very seriously."

Wolf's eyebrows rose, "That's kind of a strange thing to notice."

Lee shrugged, "My father was a very honorable man and he tried to teach me from when I was a baby."

"It's not bad. I think it's very nice, actually." Wolf smiled at him and then her lips parted in a slightly hungry grin before her face returned to a neutral mask. "What about Rachel? You think she'll go after him?"

Lee sighed, "That's what's got me worried. She's barely talked since it happened and I can feel her stewin'. You know how she gets when you try to talk to her about shit, so that's out. I was trying to think of something she could do to let her blow off some steam without getting us kicked out of town."

Wolf chuckled, "Well, I have just the thing. Simms and Gob have come to an agreement. Gob's going to take over Moriarty's with Nova as his second. The funny thing is, she's going to still whore herself out. People are weird as shit sometimes, but I guess she likes the easy money too much to give it up." Wolf shook her head in bemusement. "Anyway, they want to hire some extra muscle for the next couple of weeks. Two hundred caps per week. You and Rachel would get the lion's share after HQ gets its forty percent. You think she'll go for it?"

"Will they let her drink for free?"

Wolf laughed and clapped him on the back.

* * *

As the sun slowly sank below Megaton's wall, Lee and Rachel strolled to their temporary employer's. Rachel had remained relatively silent throughout the remainder of the day. Even the fact that Nathan had authorized them a twenty-cap bonus apiece for getting the dish set up so quickly had not been enough to lift her mood. When they had first met, Lee would have scoffed at the thought of Rachel not being a huge bitch being downright depressing, but it _was _really depressing.

The two of them had opted to leave their lethal firearms at sub-HQ. Lee had watched in amazement as Evelyn had taken a pair of fusion batteries, inserted them into a cylinder with a pair of prongs sticking out, and turned it into what she called a "cattle-prod". It had sounded pretty ridiculous to Leslie until she had given him the slightest tap on the lowest setting and put him on his ass for almost a minute. Both of the Rangers were armed with a prod. Rachel also had the now functional power fist attached to her belt. Lee, of course, went nowhere without his trusty tomahawk and hunting knife.

The sign above Moriarty's was, literally, a neon banner for insects to flock to. Some of them were probably very dangerous bugs though. Especially now that Moriarty was out of the picture. For that reason, Simms had pulled one of the Regulators that he called upon for additional security during this time of year from checking weapons at the gate to checking bladed weapons at the door to Moriarty's. The deck outside of the bar was nearly overflowing with people in various states of inebriation. An unlucky fool almost went headfirst over the railing before one of his friends pulled him back by the belt. There were only a handful of women in town and not enough female mercenaries traveling among the caravan to make up for it so Rachel's arrival was met with much fanfare.

Right up until the moment she grabbed a man by his collar and head-butted him right in his already misshapen nose. The man fell back, semi-conscious, while his friends jeered at him. Rachel remained impassive as she nodded at the Regulator manning the door; a grim-faced man with a thick band of scar tissue around his throat, who they had already met that day. Lee smirked at the man, tilted his head and shrugged at Rachel's back. Kurt the Regulator smirked and stopped a shifty-eyed fellow that tried to slide in behind Lee.

The inside of the bar was as crowded as Lee remembered. There wasn't an empty seat anywhere and there seemed to be no space to even approach the bar.

"Lee! Rachel! Over here!" Gob shouted over the noise of the crowd.

The Rangers made their way over to Moriarty's office and God closed the door behind him.

"Thank God that Ollie knows how ta tend bar or I woulda never got away." Gob nervously sat in Moriarty's chair and fiddled with a short-barreled pump-action shotgun. It looked as though someone had shaved the stock as well as cut off half the original barrel. "Alright." Lee was surprised at how authoritative Gob could sound with his raspy voice. "Lee, you're gonna be my Walker. Anybody that won't leave, you walk 'em all the way out of Megaton. Rachel, you'll be the Sweeper. You spot the problems, give Lee the nod, and step in if it goes to Hell. I heard ya were good with your hands and that's why ya get the job normally reserved for those lunkheads out there."

"Okay, but where's the other guys?"

"Turk and Manny? Manny's watching the cash-box and Turk's upstairs making sure nobody gets too insistent with Nova about shit she ain't gonna do." Gob's voice turned bitter on his last words and Lee really couldn't blame him. It had to be tough when someone you really liked, and who liked you, repeatedly snubbed your affection because of something you couldn't help. "So you two are gonna be on ya own to make sure nobody gets hurt bad."

"What will you be doing?" Lee asked, honestly curious as Gob stood and slipped the shotgun into a back holster he had rigged for it.

"Watching the bar and helping Ollie. I ain't Moriarty." Gob grinned. "You ready?" Rachel nodded, stood and headed out of the door without a backward glance. "Is she gonna be okay?"

Leslie sighed, "I hope so. Bashing a few heads in might shake her out of it. Time to get to it."

Lee exited the backroom and staked a place at the far end of the bar where he could get a fairly decent view of the entire bar. He watched as Rachel made her way through the bar with incredible grace. The Ranger seemed to become water as she glided through the crush of bodies. At least a couple of hours passed without incident in this manner. There were the occasional fights over games of cards or dice but they all settled down after a few choice words from Lee. Rachel hadn't uttered so much as a peep the entire time and Lee was definitely getting worried.

Then salvation arrived.

"Alright, you fuckers! The party's just getting started! Where's the fucking booze!" The voice was loud, obnoxious, and oozing with a smug superiority.

Lee turned and was not surprised to find a man a couple inches taller than he was leading four filthy-looking men. The talker had a round middle and one of the thickest, most ridiculous moustaches Leslie had yet to see on a man. It looked like he had even greased the ends into their upturned points on purpose. All five of the newcomers were wearing the same shade of dark gray mercenary leathers with the emblem of some kind of flag with stars in a circle on it. None of them were armed, Lee had no doubt the Regulator had searched them pretty thoroughly, but they seemed the type to pick up a barstool at the slightest provocation and lay waste to everyone around them.

The sad part of all of Lee's observations was that they weren't even drunk yet.

_Okay, maybe they are,_ Lee changed his mind after catching a whiff of the tallest one of the bunch.

The five mercs pushed through the crowd, the most muscular took point, and sidled up to the bar. A space was immediately cleared except for one unassuming man in cargo pants and camo vest. His arms were bare except for a weird tattoo with an eagle, globe, and what could have been an anchor.

_What is it with these fuckers and their weird symbols?_ Lee didn't remember people from his boyhood home having so many.

"Hey, boy!" The round leader barked at the patron while Gob and Ollie, a kid that couldn't have been older than sixteen, watched with wide eyes. "You're sittin' in mah favorite seat."

"It didn't have your name on it." The man spoke in a conversational tone that was easy to hear in the quiet bar.

"We don't have a problem with you, stranger." Muscle-Head said, placing a thick hand on the smaller man's shoulder. "But you don't want to fuck with Sanders Devil Dogs."

"Devil Dog's, huh? I've heard of you. A real bunch of badasses, aren't you?" The man turned to face Muscle-Head and fixed him with a penetrating stare from eyes almost as dark as Rachel's. "I don't have a problem with you either but that'll change if you don't get that hand off me."

Rachel met Lee's gaze over the crowd and tilted her head at the scene. Lee nodded and began making his way through the crowd.

"Didn't you hear me, meat? I said-" Muscle-Head must have tightened his grip because Tattoo moved with lightning speed and precision.

Muscle-Head legs went out from under him and he was flung forward to collide headfirst with the bar. He howled and flopped to his butt as he clutched his gushing nose.

"You muthafuckah! You bro' mah nose!" Muscle-Head squealed through the ruin of his cartilage.

"Alright, that's enough." Lee calmly inserted himself into the situation and helped Muscle-Head to his feet. "You'll be alright. Doc Church can reset that for you in the morning or you can go to one of the medics out in the caravans." Lee turned his attention to Tattoo, who had turned back to the bar as if he didn't have a care in the world. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave, sir. We have a strict no-violence rule here now."

"That's cool with me, fella." The man downed the last of his whiskey and turned, "I was just leaving anyway."

The apparent leader of these 'Devil Dogs' watched as Tattoo vacated the barstool and made his way to the door. Lee was sitting Muscle-Head down in the chair and patting him consolingly on the back when the sounds of a scuffle came from behind him. He turned to see Rachel with her bicep hooked across Round-Man's arm. The glint of brass knuckles alerted him to the danger as Round-Man fixed Rachel with an incredulous grin. Tattoo didn't even turn around to acknowledge the fact that he had almost been brained.

"Let me go, Mutie bitch!"

"Okay. You all need to go now. Separately. What you do outside Megaton isn't my problem." Lee said and that's when things went straight to Hell.

"Get that asshole!" The leader shouted and pointed at Tattoo.

A pair of his lackeys, both with Leslie's height and built, charged after Tattoo. Round-Man took a swing at Rachel with his free hand but the Ranger spun him around and got him in some kind of chokehold that had him wheezing like an old man as his arms dangled uselessly in the air above him. Then the third lackey rushed Rachel's undefended flank and hammered her lower back as they barreled through the doors. Lee started after them but was snatched off the ground from behind and carried through the swinging doors.

Muscle-Head was going to try to spike him on his head. He had been around wrestlers before and he knew the type. Lee snapped his head back as far as it could go and stars exploded in his eyes but Muscle-Head dropped him. His feet hit the ground and he immediately placed a hand on the prod at his belt but then he fixed his eyes on Rachel. She was kneeling above Round-Man's chest and delivering rapid-fire punches to his face as he frantically tried to cover up. Lackey-3, a man as tall and as skinny as Rachel, gave one of those funny yells that some fighters did as they punched or kicked just before trying to snap-kick Rachel in the nose. Rachel stood and hugged the man's leg to her chest in one motion. The man howled as she twisted it around to bring him to the ground.

There was the tiniest of smiles on her face.

_Fuck, I can't just prod them all. She's having too much fun._ Lee turned as MuscleHead picked himself up and groaned internally. _Why the hell do I have to get the biggest one?_

"I'm gonna rip ya a new one, boy!" Muscle-Head tried to growl but it came out more as a splutter when he had to clear his practically sideways nose.

"Come on, then. I haven't got all night....bitch."

_I guess she really is rubbing off on me._

Lee put his hand up and set his feet in a classic defensive boxing stance. There was an audience now as Moriarty's emptied so that everyone could see the fight. Lee didn't expect Gob or anyone to help unless the situation really got out of hand. This was what he and Rachel were being paid for, after all.

_He won't try smoother me because there's so many people watching and I bet he's a shitty boxer._

The next few moments proved Lee right as Muscle-Head came at him flat-footed and holding his hands as though he were trying to give him a bear hug. Lee sidestepped and darted forward with a lead jab before following it up with a left hook to the ribs. It was like hitting a slab of granite and Lee contained a grimace of pain.

_What the fuck are they feeding them down there these days?_

Lee's fight continued for at least half a minute with him peppering the huge guy with jabs and body shots. He managed to cut Muscle-Head under the eye with a right hook but Devil Dog just kept coming. Finally, Lee lost just enough speed for Muscle-Head to connect with a powerfully untechnical left hook that blasted through his defenses. His world went white for a moment before the pain caught up and his head instantly started to pound. Lee was spinning around just in time to see Muscle-Head charging in to rush him to the ground. The Ranger still had his carefully honed reflexes and managed to continue his spin. He ducked and threw his leg out to trip the bigger man. Muscle-Head faceplanted, further disfiguring his already mangled nose, and Lee wasted no time in planting a boot into his ribs to roll him over.

Lee flopped down onto the Devil Dog and planted his knee right into the man's balls. The man practically screeched and weakly tried to force the Ranger off him.

"I told you-" Lee lifted his knee up and drove it into Muscle-Heads crotch. "-to fucking-" Another ball-drive had the man semi-comatose. "-leave."

Lee rolled off of him and slowly got to his feet. His head hurt like hell and he knew that he'd have a massive shiner in the morning. He looked down at Muscle-Heads Z-shaped nose and grimaced.

_I wouldn't want to be this pendejo in the morning._

"Wow. You really fucked his balls up, Lee. That fucker won't be able to sit for a week." Rachel's voice was like a breath of fresh air despite her filthy mouth.

Lee turned to find Rachel sitting on the back of the leader, who was snoring spastically from being knocked out, with her feet propped on the side of the head of Lackey-3. The only mark on her was a slight scuff on one cheek. Her lower back was probably on fire though.

"You two can really get a little for such scrawny kids." Tattoo's voice came from the side where he was standing over his own pair of Devil Dogs.

Lee was slightly mollified by the busted lip of the older man. It was probably going to swell up to twice its size before the night was over.

"If you want to make some real dough, you should join The Corps."

Rachel laughed, "We're Rangers, guy. Now and forever."

"Semper Fi." Tattoo nodded in respect and began making his way to the gate.

A path was quickly cleared through the press of bodies for him.

"Holy shit, guys!" Gob came through the crowd with a huge grin on his face. "I heard the stories but I never thought... just... wow!"

"Yeah, yeah, Gob. Try not to sit down and blow them while I'm standing here for fuck's sake." Jericho pushed his way through the mass of people with a scowl. "I shoulda known you'd be here, whore."

Rachel flinched a little and lowered her head.

"Just doing our job, Jericho! Shit! This bastard nearly broke my neck with that punch." Lee rubbed his neck melodramatically and grinned.

Jericho barked laughter, "You should come by. I'll show you a few of my old-school tricks sometime and we can shoot the shit."

"Alright, show's over." Simms sauntered up to the site of the melee without a shirt.

_He probably was woke up by the commotion._

"Who's your Walker, Gob?" Simms asked and Gob nodded at Lee. "Jericho, help him haul these bastards out of town. If one wakes up and gives you shit, remind them who's got the big stick in this neck of the woods."

"Right, boss." Jericho nodded and moved to Muscle-Head's feet. "Grab his shoulders, kid." Lee knelt to help carry the man. "Why the hell didn't you just shoot these fuckers? Or at least stun them. Simms told me your girl rigged up some kind of stunner."

"We were having too much fun."

Rachel turned to Lee at his words and met his eyes. She gave him the tiniest of smiles before she headed back inside Moriarty's.

* * *

Late that night, after the bar had closed, Rachel and Lee sat at the table on the landing beside the sub-HQ. They were sharing a bottle of some of Gob's best whiskey that they had received for doing such a good job. After the tussle, it had only taken Gob nodding at someone who was getting rowdy for that person to settle down. Rachel had begun talking to Lee with increasing frequency and duration as the night wore on. Now they were sharing a bottle of liquor under the waning moonlight like true teammates.

"I think I'm a little kinda drunk, Lee," Rachel whispered conspiratorially.

"Yeah, just a bit, Piernas." Lee grinned and watched as she drank another half-full shot-glass.

The bottle was halfway gone and Lee knew he had barely had three full shots.

"Do you think I'm a whore?" The question, completely out of the blue, stunned Leslie for far too long. "That's a yes, ain't it?"

"Well, you don't get paid when you do someone, do you?"

_Maybe I'm a little bit more drunk than I thought. That didn't make any sense._

Apparently, it did to Rachel, "No."

"Well, then you just like to fuck. Lots of people do."

Rachel actually giggled and Lee's eyes widened, "I didn't know you could do that."

"What?"

"Giggle."

"Course I can, bitch. What the hell do you think I am? A robot or somethin'?"

"No, you just never seemed like the gigglin' sort. I like it."

"You do, huh?" Rachel turned to fix him with a peculiar stare. "You wanna fuck me, don't you?"

If Lee had been taking a sip, he would have spit it all over himself; as it was, he merely spluttered for a moment, "What the hell you asking me that for?"

"You do! I can tell! You like my legs! I see the way you look at 'em!" Rachel accused him with a sly grin.

"Hey, I've got eyes. I can look where I want to."

"So, why don't we just fuck?" Again, this statement was said so nonchalantly that it threw Lee for a loop. "So, that's a yes?"

"No!" Lee yelped. "I mean... no. You know I don't like that shit in teams, Rach."

Rachel's leaned back in her seat, her lips pouting, and suddenly tears welled in her eyes, "Do you think I'm pretty?"

Lee knew he was treading on thin ice but he answered as earnestly as he could, "Yes."

"We could keep it a secret. I know the other two wants to fuck you. I don't care."

"I'm sorry, Rachel. It's not a good idea."

Then she burst into tears and Lee felt like a massive asshole.

_Why is she crying?_

Lee reached out to hold her hand but she wrenched it away with a hiss.

"You know what! Fuck you, Lee! I don't need your ass! I'll just go find someone who wants ta fuck me!" Rachel made it to her feet but not before Lee grabbed her around the waist.

"You'll have to take me with you." Lee whispered.

A fresh batch of wracking sobs tore through her as she fought to mutter, "Why do you e-e-e-even care?"

"Because you're on my team. Because I like you. Because you're worth it."

"You know why I cut myself?" Rachel asked as her sobs declined, "It's not a tribal thing. That's what everyone think. It's 'cause I don't like feeling weak. Like a weak little bitch. It makes me feel strong. Like I gots control. Tha's pretty fucked up, ain't it?"

"Yeah. It kinda is." It was the only thing he could think of to say and he cursed himself for it.

Rachel giggled again, for some reason, "You tell it like it is. I like that about you, Leslie." Rachel pulled back and looked down into his eyes. "I wish you were taller though. It sucks being taller than all the guys you wanna fuck and I really wanna fuck you. Are you spiking our drinks or somethin'? How da fuck did'ja make us all wanna fuck ya? It ain't unnatural... I mean, natural."

"It's kinda a pain in the ass."

"I like your eyes. Ya should at least kiss me for making up for making up for me crying. Wait... what did I say?"

Lee reached up and pulled Rachel down to give her a soft kiss. She tasted like whiskey but so did he. When he pulled away, Rachel had a huge smile on her face and her eyes were closed.

"I'm kinda tired, Lee. I'm going to go ta sleep." Then Rachel slumped in his arms and he scooped her up in his arms.

_Wow. I've never seen someone capable of speaking coherently right up until they passed out._

The Ranger quietly carried her into the house with Wadsworth's assistance and upstairs to her cot. He removed her boots, pants, and shirt. She wasn't wearing a bra but Lee would have taken that off anyway. It was how she liked to sleep, after all. For once, he took a selfish moment and looked at Rachel's sleeping form with all of the lust he kept bottled inside of him. With a weary sigh, he stepped back and pulled the curtain closed. He turned and jumped at the sight of Wolf in her shorts. The golden-skinned woman's eyes seemed to glow in the dark as she fixed an almost predatory gaze on him.

"Thank you, Lee. I thought I'd have to come get you two." She turned away and walked to her room. "Goodnight." Lee had heard the expression about women purring like cats but he had never really recognized it until tonight.

_Fuck, that's some good whiskey._ Lee shook his head in bemusement before heading back out to clean up.


	11. XI

"If you start pissing blood, let me know right away," Wolf's voice, usually so soft and soothing, blared in Leslie's ears like a horn.

Lee shoved his head beneath his pillow to reduce his team leader's voice to a less damaging volume and tried to think past the fierce pounding in his skull. He remembered almost the entire night except for how he had gotten back to his cot and why his pants were stuck around his ankles.

_I probably passed out before I got them all the way off. Have I ever drank that much before? Shit. I must be a real lightweight._

His curtain was rolled back and an ungentle finger poked him in the upper back. The semi-conscious man groaned and tried to sink deeper into his shallow mattress but the finger was incessant.

"Okay, okay," Lee snapped and raised his head off the pillow.

Through his blurry vision and past Wolf's hip, he could make out a bright red mark on Rachel's lower back before she pulled a shirt on. Lee sat up in his bed, bent over to pull his pants up and nearly vomited all over Wolf's boots. Somehow, he choked back the urge, and managed to slide his pants up around his waist. He left them unbuckled and leaned his back against the wall.

"Look into the light, Lee." Wolf demanded and placed a now gentle hand on the undamaged side of his face.

Lee squinted into the light while she examined him and then winced as she gently probed the eye that the big bastard had slugged him in.

"Your orbital seems intact," she finally declared before she stepped back.

Wolf was wearing fatigues with a Ranger emblem on her left breast today. It occurred to him that Wolf was the only one of the four Rangers that seemed to prefer wearing different clothes everyday. That was strange considering that, as far as Lee knew, Evelyn was the only Ranger that came from a place where they had automated washers. He was pretty sure that Wolf had been wearing a different set of pants and a tanktop yesterday but his head was still fuzzy.

Wolf chuckled lightly. "The next time you guys get into a bar fight, let me know _before_ you come back home and get drunk."

_Home. Is this home?_ Lee looked at Wolf's smile and listened to Rachel screech at Evelyn to stop being so cheerful before coming to a conclusion, _Yes._

"Well, I didn't feel that bad." Lee tried to defend himself but, in reality, he had been hoping to pull Rachel out of her funk.

"You'd think you were alright if you had a concussion, you know," Wolf retorted dryly. "Pull yourself together. We're gonna go for our late morning run in about thirty minutes. Then we're going to be coming up with a cross-training plan. I'm thinking about having you teach us how to not be so goddamned noisy when we're scouting. It would make things so much easier when we go out on mapping runs." Wolf sighed. "Speaking of which. We're going to need two for the week. We're allowed to update previous locations every month, so I figure we can do Megaton and The Mart while we're getting settled this week. It's going to be a busy one."

Lee groaned in response and made his best effort to stand up without puking his guts out. "Wonderful."

* * *

The next two weeks, as those times that were happiest had a tendency to do, passed far too quickly for Leslie's liking. Every day was busy but his crew always made every job so entertaining that it only vaguely resembled work.

Wolf had kept her promise to never wake them up at dawn but she was adamant that no one woke up later than 9 A.M and had enforced the rule very seriously. Echo's late mornings and afternoons were devoted to keeping themselves, and their skills at peak efficiency. They would start out with a short run, then calisthenics, followed by a longer run and then stretching. All of the workouts would have a wild card added to it that Wolf's fiendish mind had cooked up. One morning, she had actually made them all run in full-kit for two miles around the town _after_ their long run. Rachel's bitching, plus the fact that she could bitch while doing it, had provided an endless amount of laughter.

Rachel had come out of her funk completely after a couple of days and, while still cantankerous, started treating them all like an adopted family. During the days when they drilled hand-to-hand, she actually displayed patience with Evelyn instead of exasperation. To Lee's surprise, she actually didn't try to force him to learn a different style of fighting than boxing but she did know a surprising amount that helped him figure out why some of the moves he had been using didn't work. She also began to teach them all how to escape when someone had them on their backs on the ground. The woman didn't make a half-bad teacher when she put her mind to it.

Evelyn had managed to rig a shower _and_ a toilet in the room where the partially restored motorbike had once resided. She was now sharing the upper walkway with Rachel and Lee. The petite Ranger had convinced Moira to store the motorbike for her since the two had become fast friends after only a few days of going back and forth about highly technical stuff that made Lee's head hurt. Evelyn had actually managed to get the quad to help Moira write her Wasteland Survival Guide. Their various experiences enabled them to fill out most of the portions of Moira's book but there were some that would require work. Planting a surveillance device inside a theorized Mirelurk nest and then retrieving it later so she could look over the evidence sounded crazy but Lee thought he could pull it off with the right equipment and preparation. The woman did pay pretty damn well for their help.

Echo's combat engineer had discovered yet another means of making money by helping the old man that kept the town's machinery working. He needed spare parts as well and would offer a decent amount of caps for it. Rachel had started teasing Evelyn by calling her 'The MoneyMaker'. The shy Ranger, who was becoming less shy around her quad everyday, would flush and tell Rachel to kiss her _real_ moneymaker. Whenever Lee was around during those times, he couldn't help but to laugh himself silly.

Wolf was not idle during this time period either. She was always concocting new ways to make sure her quad was the best that Reilly's Rangers had to offer. Her mind was really something special, Lee thought, after she went through her cross-training plans with him. She wanted each of the quad to privately drill, at least two days a week, with one of the other Ranger's in that Ranger's specialty for an hour. Wolf had also started having Lee take them out into the area around Megaton during the late afternoon before Lee and Rachel's shift began at Moriarity's or, as some locals were calling it, The GobStopper. Gob had told them he thought half of it came from the Rangers first night as bouncers. Wolf was also studying with Doc Church for a few hours a night in her quest to become a battlefield trauma surgeon in case one of their lives depended on it.

As for Lee, besides his bouncing duties, he had gained permission to take Rachel out and scout a couple of locations close to Megaton. They had done a quick sweep of the area near where they had landed and actually discovered three dens of Raider hideouts within a mile of Megaton. It didn't really surprise Lee. Megaton had a couple of fields of wheat to help supplement their foodstuffs and the yield was never that good thanks to the soil but that didn't stop Raiders from trying to steal what they could. According to Jericho, Simms usually hired a crew of mercs to watch the fields when the harvest was close, but sometimes the mercenaries would help themselves to it. Megaton also had a source of mutfruit, which explained why the Stahl's seemed to have an endless supply, but Lee found he preferred imported fruitnut; especially now that there was fresh produce to be had.

It was two weeks of excellent food and even better company.

Then came the day that the caravan was departing.

* * *

Turk held out his hand and utterly engulfed Lee's as he shook it, "It was nice workin' with ya, friend."

The man's accent was familiar and could have been that of one of his neighbors so many years ago but he dared not ask about what the region was like. Lee feared it would make him so homesick as to be absolutely useless.

"It was a pleasure, friend," Lee said with a smile. "You be careful out there."

Turk nodded and clapped his half-brother, Manny, on the shoulder as the two walked out the door. The two brothers were from somewhere in the South and had proven trustworthy enough for Moriarty to hire them on as bouncers during trading season. Gob had tried to hire them for an indeterminate period since he wanted a little extra muscle for when it came time to deal with Moriarty's underworld contacts but they had revealed families that desperately depended on the money they made.

Rachel's voice came through the doors, probably offering her own goodbyes to the likeable duo, as Wolf and Evelyn entered The GobStopper. Wolf was, of all things, dressed in the common homespun dress that the majority of the women in Megaton wore. It looked like she had even taken the time to put on some light cosmetics. Evie, as usual, wore stained overalls and had a grease smudge on one cheek where she had carelessly wiped her face. Rachel came through the doors in garb similar to Lee, fatigues and a slightly stained T-shirt, and promptly locked them behind her.

"Nova!" Gob shouted for his business partner as he came out of his office.

Gob had really taken to owning the bar, or the bar had affected him, because he always had the tiniest of smiles on his nonexistent lips. The ghoul had started dressing in a button-down cotton shirt and tweed pants that were held up by suspenders. He had a short black overcoat that he wore sometimes but, as a ghoul, he wasn't exactly susceptible to exposure as readily as a normal human was. Lee thought it, like most clothes ghouls wore, was just to help remind him that he was still human; as well as make normal people feel more comfortable. His short-barreled pump-action had been relegated to only being taken out when he went outside of the bar. Instead, thanks to practicing with Lee, Gob had become a decent fast draw with a .44 he had bought from a weapons trader in the caravan. Evie had customized it for Gob and showed him how to fit heavier powder loads into his cartridges. The gun could take it and, thanks to his ghoulish nature, so could Gob's bones.

Nova appeared at the top of the stairs, lit cigarette dangling out of the corner of her mouth. "Yeah, yeah. I'm comin'."

The whore/bar owner came down the stairs slowly as the entirety of Echo watched her. Nova hadn't changed much in either looks or personality but she had a newfound confidence in whatever she did. She had begun to recognize her power. It was a power that women who provided such services in female-deprived towns often failed to recognize. Even dressed in racy nightwear, Nova projected an aura of pride and self-respect.

Lee turned his head and made his way to the circle of chairs he had set up after they had kicked the last customer out. He noticed that, once everyone was no longer watching her, Nova hurried down the stairs. Lee took a seat between Evie and Wolf while Rachel sat across from him between the bar owners.

"I take it you wanted us here to talk about going back to Underworld, right?" Wolf began once they had all settled.

"Does she always go right to the point, Gob?" Nova asked in irritation.

_I can't believe she was my first. Then again, she didn't say much besides, 'Jericho better have the caps._

Gob laughed and shook his head. "You can't always have the first and last word, Red."

"She certainly does try," Rachel mumbled quite loudly.

Nova turned to glare at the taller woman but remained silent. She had seen Rachel knock a man that outweighed her by at least thirty pounds into unconsciousness with a single blow. The redhead had been wary around her ever sense.

"Yeah, Wolf, I wanted to talk about tha' trip ta Underworld. I wanna go as soon as possible but I'm worried about leaving Nova here to run things by herself." Nova made a disgruntled noise in her throat and Gob patted her on the shoulder reassuringly. "I'm sure her and Ollie can handle things just fine but it would make me feel better if they had one of you guys watching their backs 'til we get some permanent muscle. We'll pay ya five caps a day. It'll be easy work since we might usually only get less than twenty customers a day."

Lee turned and watched as Wolf tugged on a piece of hair she had braided together for that purpose, "We can do that, sure. When do you want to leave?"

"Well, actually," Gob gave Nova an apologetic look, "I was thinking about tomorrow morning."

"Lookin' to cut out on me so soon, Gobby?" Nova asked in what she probably thought was a scornful voice but the woman sounded wounded by the idea.

"That ain't it, Red. I just ain't seen my mother and Greta in... well, I can't even remember the last time. I need ta see them."

"Yeah, I know, Gob. Sorry." Nova took a long drag of her smoke and dropped the ashes right on the floor.

"Well, if that's all," Wolf stood and smoothed down her dress. "Then we should get back to our Hub and sort out the details."

"Okay." Gob stood and went to unlock the doors. "I'll be ready to go around ten."

"We'll be here." Wolf nodded and led the way outside.

"See ya in the morning, Gob." Lee clapped the ghoul on the shoulder as he passed him.

"You really shouldn't flash the goods when you guys are alone if you're not gonna fuck him, Nova. Shit." Rachel scolded the whore before she gentle backhanded Gob on the chest before leaving.

Evie bounced to his side as they made their way back to the Hub. Megaton was shutting down and there was no one in the streets except for a few stragglers at The Brass Lantern that refused to leave the outdoor bar even though no one was serving them and Jericho. The ex-Raider absolutely hated the night-watch and was probably somewhere sipping on a lukewarm beer as he remembered his 'glory days'.

Wolf entered in the code to the keypad that Evie had placed on the door to the Hub. They had actually replaced the entire door and frame during that first week with some kind of thick metal door that Evie said had once been used to board an airplane. Whatever it was, it was probably sturdier than the walls it was connected to. Rachel swung the heavy door out and held it as they filed into their home.

The interior of the Hub was a lot different than it had been when they arrived. Evie and Wolf had practically taken over the bottom floor and turned it into a mini-infirmary/workshop. There was a cleared space in the middle of the main floor where they could unfold the wide circular table they had traded Moira for that could be used as a surgical space as well as a workspace for Evie's larger projects. The left wall still had the two sets of lockers, now meticulously organized, but also had shelves of parts and a workbench for Evie. Wolf had actually discovered a hollow beneath the stairs where she could store a My-Infirmary and had a rolling cart packed with additional medical supplies. Their rooms were also adapted to their passions. Lee had seen what the two had done to their living quarters and had chuckled both times. Evie had schematics, diagrams, and blueprints covered just about every inch of wall space that he had seen while a mostly empty bookshelf held several manuals that she had managed to get her hands on. Wolf's actual room was no better; it just pertained to humans instead of machines. Lee had found the anatomical drawing of a person to be very interesting and he had studied it for almost an hour.

Rachel and Lee's areas of the house were simple in comparison. Besides their cots, portable shelving units for their clothes, and gun racks, both of the violence-oriented members of Echo seemed to prefer a Spartan living space. It was a good thing since Evelyn's stuff took up twice as much space as theirs.

Wolf unfolded the table while Lee and Rachel gathered the metal folding chairs. Evie poured them four glasses of water that she delivered on a tray as they finished setting up in the middle of the floor.

After a long drink, Wolf spoke, "Here's how we're going to do it. Rachel and me are going to escort Gob to Underworld. Lee and Evie will stay and keep an eye on things here. Any questions?"

Lee immediately raised his arm off the table, "Why are you taking Rachel and not me? I know the route and the ghouls in Underworld better."

"You do," Wolf agreed, "but you're my second and, for a job like this, we can't have both of us out there in danger. You've been working with Rachel and I know you've been going over the route back to Rivet, Underworld and main HQ. I need to go because it doesn't make much sense to go through combat zones without a medic. So that leaves you and Evie. Besides, we need our little MoneyMaker to make those caps."

All four Rangers laughed at that and the issue was settled.

* * *

The parting in the late morning was as anticlimactic as Leslie's life experience had taught him they could be. Echo Quad, with Rachel and Wolf geared up for the trip, met Gob outside of The GobStopper. The ghoul had managed to pack a surprisingly neat kit, smaller than the women's as he didn't have their nutrition requirements, and had his snub-nosed pump secured at his pack's side. A 10mm sidearm rested at his hip and, to Lee's surprise, the hilt of one of the machete-swords the Southern mercs used peaked out from the bottom of the pack. Gob was clothed in a well-oiled suit of leather armor. Lee had to wonder just how Gob had been captured because the ghoul looked very comfortable in his equipment.

There were a few nods exchanged but the group was silent as it made its way to the town entrance. Deputy Weld let them out with one of his archaic greetings and they stood in the shade of the watch balcony for a moment.

"Don't forget to make sure Ollie doesn't sample too much of da booze, Nova. You know how he can get." Gob said his goodbye but stood and looked uncertain.

"Oh, come here, you big dummy." Nova sighed and pulled Gob into a hug. The expression on the ghoul's face was priceless. "You be careful out there."

"Yes, ma'am." Gob said, his lips curving into a tiny smile.

"We'll contact you when we get to Rivet City on our channel during evening check-in. Evie, try not to blow the town up with Moira." Wolf's goodbye was terse but a heartfelt grin made her beauty almost painful to gaze upon.

"Don't fuck each other's brains out. You might need them." Rachel teased them with a smirk and everyone, including Nova, laughed.

Without another word spoken, the three travelers started walking around the Megaton's long wall.

"So, Lee, when are ya comin' around?" Nova asked as she lit up a cigarette.

"I'll be there from opening to closing, everyday. It's my job."

"Yeah, well, I guess I'll see you at noon since Gob changed opening time." Nova nodded and walked back through Megaton's doors.

"She's kind of a cunt, isn't she?" Evie asked and Lee barked laughter.

"Just a little, bonita."

* * *

Lee was busy for that entire morning. After their morning exercise and breakfast, the two Rangers split up for the day. Evie was going to do some maintenance on the water pipes around town and Lee had promised to gather some of the hardy, thorned plants that grew around Megaton. They were supposed to be a primary ingredient in the sunburn salves Doc Church used and they smelled like it. After he had filled the bag and received his payment, Lee went to Moira's and bought a heavy bag that he had seen laying in a corner of the store. He knew he would probably never be the best boxer in the Wasteland but it couldn't hurt to keep his skills sharp; especially dealing with some of the hard drinking locals that stopped by Megaton every few days or so. Their fear of Moriarty had kept them in line before and he knew that at least one of them would test him before it was all over.

An idea had struck before he had taken a step outside of Craterside Supply and he made his way to The GobStopper. Nova was surprisingly amicable to letting him set it up in the alcove. She had said it would be good for everyone to see that their muscle was serious and could handle himself. They couldn't depend on everyone having heard about what he and Rachel had done their very first night of bouncing. As long as he took the bag down once he was finished, Nova didn't have a problem. She actually suggested he go through a couple of rounds on the heavy bag a few hours after opening so their afternoon regulars could see.

The shrewd woman had been right. There had only been three of them, all Common Housers, and they had sat at the bar after some muttered complaints. Lee had set up the bag, wrapped his hands, and started working on his hook combinations. He was so into it that he didn't even notice when the conversation stopped. Once his arms felt like jelly, he stepped back and took nice, smooth, deep breaths. Lee turned to find that the three regulars, Ollie, and Nova were all staring at him as though he had grown three heads. He didn't give any consideration to his bare torso and their reaction to his various scars.

"You should have seen when Rachel kicked a hole in one of these back in training." He told them as he stretched his arms to prepare himself from another round.

Everyone quickly went back to what they had been doing. Ollie's huge ears burned red as he ducked his head and furiously wiped the bar down. The three Housers hastily began a conversation that made no sense to Lee's ears as they nursed their beers. Nova just shook her head and went back to smoking her cigarette as she spaced out to the tunes coming from the radio.

Lee took down the bag after he was done and stored it in a supply closet upstairs. Then he sat at a table near the door and started to doze after the three Housers left to do whatever they did to earn money during the day. How Nova or Ollie stayed fully conscious was beyond him but they were probably so anxious about being robbed that it was easy for them. Lee had long ago learned the trick to dozing while retaining the ability to become fully alert at a moment's notice. So, when the doors breezed open, a smile grew on Lee's face as he recognized a particular gait he had memorized years before. The person stopped right beside him and gave a small huff of disapproval at Lee's lack of reaction. When they went for their sidearm, Lee's hands flashed in blurs of motion. He grabbed the person's wrist with his near hand while his far hand drew his hunting knife. It was poking the slight paunch of the older man just beneath the diaphragm in the space of two blinks.

The person Lee had caught a hold of was his height and had the sun-darkened skin of a Waster. He had on a white headwrap and his armor was well-worn leather. The deep creases in his face were almost as good for identification as the patch over his left eye that had, of all things, a purple bear on it. The scars surrounding the patch crinkled horribly as the man laughed.

"Still a tricky fucker, ain't ya?" The man yelled and pulled Lee into an embrace so tight that the man's gray stubble scratched his skin.

Lee returned the hug as best he could since the man had an enormous backpack. "It's good to see you too, Leroy. C'mon and sit."

"Alright, boy. We need to catch up." Leroy took a seat and then looked around the bar suspiciously. "So, it's true about Moriarty?"

"That he ran off? Probably with a bunch of loot?" Leroy nodded. "As far as I know. You know he was always going on about how he hated this part of the world and he was movin' to where they still had a few trees and proper civilization."

"Yeah," Leroy whispered and then leaned closer, "You have something to do with it? Soon as I heard that you were in town and had joined up with some merc band that was bouncin' for this place, I smelled you all over it."

Lee let his face go still. "I don't have any idea what you're talkin' about."

Leroy grinned. "Okay, son, okay. What's that kid at the bar's name? Shit, is he even old enough to have hair on his balls?"

"His name is Ollie and I have no idea."

"Hey, Ollie! Bring me a bottle of rum! Yeah. The whole bottle and a shot-glass. Don't give me that look. I'm getting as drunk as I can without killing myself today." Leroy winked at Lee. "At least, I hope it doesn't kill me. Tell me about how you joined up with that merc group."

Lee told Leroy the entire story and didn't leave out a thing. Leroy had been the one that had found him wandering through the Wastes half-dead from exposure, dehydration and a bullet wound. Lee literally owed Leroy his life and, in his opinion, had never really paid him back for that extreme act of kindness. Leroy had risked bringing him all the way to Megaton to see Doc Church with no hope of repayment despite the fact that Leroy One-Eye was one of the more notoriously money-hungry freelancers operating in the Capital Wasteland. The veteran merc had been the one to show him the ins-and-outs of this particular stretch of Waste. He had even shown him how to forage for food and water. Lee's father never had time to teach him that before the end. Leroy wasn't really a surrogate father but he was like the favorite uncle that had taught Leslie many invaluable lessons about living.

"Wow, boy." Leroy whistled at the end. "Sounds like you're gonna have an even bigger name than old Leroy One-Eye."

"Ha. Like that's likely."

"You never know, Lee. Shit." Leroy downed his third shot of rum in twenty minutes and smacked his lips. "Too bad I won't get a chance to meet the rest of your... quad, was it? You always had the luck of the Irish... even though you aint' got a drop of it in you."

Lee grinned and shrugged. "Yeah. If they got around you, they'd just throw themselves at your feet since you're so pretty and charming and all."

"That's right. I taught you everything you know about charmin' the ladies."

"Yeah... by showing me exactly what _not_ to do."

"Watch it, boy! I'll slap that grin right off your face!" Leroy roared and faked a snarl at him.

Lee snickered, "Right. You haven't managed yet."

"You insolent shit."

"Where'd you learn a word like insolent?" Lee was honestly shocked because it was a word he had heard very rarely and never from Leroy.

Leroy grinned to proudly display several missing lower teeth. "I was shacking up with this real smart girl for a few months. She was always going on about this or that except when we were fucking. Hell, one time even while we were fucking. I just couldn't take it no more. Especially when I heard about the best merc deal _ever_."

"Is that why you're up this way?" Leroy nodded quickly.

"I was actually coming to see if you'd sign up with us. Me, Three-Finger Jake and Sara Two-Spot all signed on. You'd make a good addition and I'd get a signing bonus for getting more mercs."

Lee's eyebrows rose. Those two were the most sought-after and highest paid freelance mercs in the Capital Wasteland after Leroy. If they were all signing on, it must have been a big score.

"What's the job?"

"They're looking for specialists for some kind of war a hundred miles up north. It's a three-way war. The Province of Camden, the Republic of Wilmington and the... shit, what was it, the City-State of Philadelphia. They're all fighting over a long stretch of one of the big rivers up there. Why the fuck anyone would want to fight over the polluted shitholes we got for rivers is beyond me but they're throwing around _thousands _of caps plus every specialist is gonna be set up for life in the official army. Just training young punks every couple of years when they need them. We won't even have to fight! I signed up with Wilmington. They said they have access to unpolluted water and offered me waterfront property!"

It all sounded suspicious to Lee but he knew that Leroy worried about what would happen when he got too old to be the best. The man had survived dozens of attempts at people trying to make a name by killing him, the first had cost him his eye, but Lee knew that age was catching up with Leroy. One of these days, someone would be faster or smarter or stronger than he was and he would die. The Ranger actually had no idea how old Leroy even was.

"That sounds like a dream job, Leroy. No wonder all the big freelancers signed up."

"Yeah. Even Talon is sending a platoon up, from what I heard." Leroy burped to show his opinion of that fact. "I might be a money-hungry motherfucker but I ain't no baby-killer."

Lee shrugged. "You know nobody ever proved that was them."

Leroy took another shot of rum. "I only need to smell the shit to know it was there." Leroy looked at Lee for a moment with wondering eyes before snorting and rising to his feet. "Hell, I was going to ask if you were sure about this Ranger business but I probably couldn't drag you away from those girls with a ten-foot pole. You always were a sucker for the dames. I'm going down to The Lantern for some grub. I'll bring you back some. My treat. My advance was _really_ good."

"I still remember the first rule, Uncle." Lee grinned and they both spoke at the same time.

"Never pass down free food!"

Leroy reached over and gently slapped Lee on the side of the head. "I guess a thing or two did stick. See ya in a flash, boy."

Nova was in the chair that Leroy had vacated before the doors had finished settling. "You never told me you knew The One-Eye!"

Lee shrugged. "You weren't here when he brought me to see Doc Church when I was a kid and I never had a reason to come back here very often. Not a lot of people remember him dragging my sorry, skinny ass in here. I like it that way."

"But... you could make a lot more caps if people thought you was trained by Leroy One-Eye!"

Lee smiled. "Have I ever struck you as the type that gives a shit about money? A bunch of caps just puts a big fucking target on your back. I never needed them to live and I don't pay rent in any of the towns that charge it. Before I joined the Rangers, I didn't even have a place I really could call home, if you gotta know."

Nova took a long drag of her cigarette and blew the smoke out of the side of her plump mouth as she studied him. "I always had you figured for one of those quiet psychos that come in for a quick thrust every couple months but you really are certifiable, Lee. Cute, but certifiable. Everyone wants caps and power. That's the only constant in this shitty world we live in. You'll see one day."

"I'll help change that. That's why I joined the Rangers."

"Right. You joined a merc group to make it so people didn't have to worry about caps and people having power over them. Gimme a fuckin' break." Nova shook her head in disgust and stood to stand at her usual corner.

The doors opened again but, instead of Leroy, Evie poked her head into the door. Her hands were clean but the rest of her, including her face, was covered in liberal swathes of black and brown stains.

"Hey, Ollie!" Evie greeted the bartender cheerfully and gave a subdued wave in Nova's general direction. "Hey, Lee!"

Evie bounced over to the table and sat in the chair on Lee's left. She grinned at him and blinked her huge brown eyes.

"What?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to see how you were holding up. It must be kind of boring in here. No offense, Ollie."

"None taken." The young man squeaked and promptly flushed a scarlet color.

Lee found it funny that Evie thought he didn't know she had taken Ollie's virginity their third day in town. Apparently, Evie wasn't shy around new people when she was really horny.

"I went back home but I didn't see your punching bag anywhere. What happened to it?"

"I'm storing it here. That way I can stay kinda busy and people can see that this place has serious muscle."

"Ha! That's smart, Lee!" Evie frowned at the bottle of rum and droplet-coated glass on the table. "Lee! You shouldn't be drinking on the job!"

"It's not mine, bonita. A friend of mine stopped by. He just went to get us some lunch. Have you had any? I could go down to The Lantern and get you some."

"Oh, no. That's okay. I ate something when I was home. Who's this friend?"

Lee explained to her about how Leroy had helped him when he was younger, carefully avoiding the events that led to the meeting, and a little about how infamous he was in a lot of mercenary circles. His infamy was primarily a result of his double-crossing people before they could double-cross him. At least, that was how Leroy explained it.

"My ears are burning!" Leroy shouted before shouldering the doors aside as he carried in two steaming plates. "My, my, boy. Who is this lovely girl that lowered herself to sit with a piss-ugly reprojake like yourself."

Evie giggled when, after setting the plates down, Leroy took her hand and kissed the back of it. "I think you mean repro_bate_, Mister Leroy, and my name is Evelyn."

"Please, none of that mister stuff. You can call me Leroy or Roy, if you like." Leroy took his seat, "Would you like some of this rum, dear?"

Lee rolled his eyes at how thick the old man was laying it on. The worst part about it was that Lee had seen it work on a lot of the lonely women living desperate lives out in the Waste.

"No thanks. I'll have to get going in a little while."

"That's sad. I was looking forward to enjoying your company. You don't have time to join us for lunch? I could run back and pick you up something quick."

"That's okay. Lee already offered but I just ate."

"I taught him pretty well, didn't I?" Leroy waggled his bushy eyebrows at Evie and she giggled again.

The brahmin steak, rice, and steamed vegetables were too much to resist any longer and Lee raised his voice to call to Ollie, "Can you bring us a jug of water and two glasses, please?"

They had another week, at the most, before all of the fresh fruit and vegetables were gone and they were back to the frozen variety. The advance must have been good for Leroy to afford this since the Stahls were charging ridiculous prices for the stuff.

"On second thought," Evie reached over, plucked Lee's fork from his plate, and speared a piece of tan colored vegetable. "Oh, I love cauliflower."

Leroy chuckled. "She's definitely my kind of girl."

* * *

Lee walked into his shared home with Echo quad and sighed. For some reason, it was exhausting working at The GobStopper by himself. Time had seemed to fly by with Rachel but the hours dragged without her there. There hadn't been any reason for him to rise from his seat at the table with Leroy. It was fine when Leroy or Evie had been there but whenever either of them left it all was terribly boring.

_Maybe I'll work on my letters tomorrow._

Something was cooking in the kitchen and it smelled delicious.

"Wadsworth, what the hell is she cooking in there?"

"I have no idea, sir, but she said that it would 'blow your mind'." The Mr. Handy answered from his place by the stairwell.

The table was out but only one place was made on it and that made Lee curious as to what Evie had planned.

"Evie!" He called as he removed his belts and slipped them over his shoulder.

"In here." She called from the kitchen.

Lee's eye widened almost painfully at the sight that greeted him. Evelyn was standing in front of the over, sniffing the pot that the delicious odor was coming from, wearing a long apron with not a stitch on underneath. He had seen her entirely naked more than a few times, but something about the scene caused a nearly painful erection to spring to life.

"Almost ready." Evie turned to him as though she cooked in the nude every day and, come to think of it, they _all _did cook semi-nude most of the time. "Go get cleaned up. We can take twice as many showers a week now that it's just us two! And I'll have a plate ready! I made a tiny cake, too!"

"Er, okay, but what's the special occasion?" Lee asked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"There's none, silly. We're going to make a lot of caps and I figured we could have a good meal. Now go shower."

Lee nodded and made his way upstairs. It was only a moments work to store his weapons and gather up his bathing materials. The coarse towel and washcloth were functional if scratchy. Evie had put a toilet in the bathroom and two showerheads but there was no sink. He turned on the shower, sighing at the soothing coolness, and luxuriated in getting really clean for the first time in two days. Once he was done scrubbing himself, Lee dressed in a pair of fatigues and happily made his way down the stairs. Evelyn had placed another seat at the table and had two settings made. There were two plates and a glass of wine at both.

"You bought a bottle of wine, too? How much money did you spend today?" Lee exclaimed but sat down quickly enough.

"Roy bought the wine for us. He said it was just one of his going away presents. Now eat. It's chicken pasta. Enjoy it because chickens don't live long up here. Moira said she thinks it's got something to do with the worms or something that lives in the soil up here."

Lee didn't need to be told twice. He ate like a man possessed and moaned at how good the food was. He nearly died when he finished and moved on to the piece of cake that was on his second plate. It was still warm, fluffy and tasted like heaven. Once he was done, he found that Evie had seemed to barely touch her food or drink. The petite Ranger was staring at him with her entrancing eyes.

_When did she take her glasses off?_ Lee had time to think before she was sliding into his lap.

The apron was off and, before he had time to gasp in surprise, he had a lap full of naked woman pressing up against him. Her lips were on his, gentle and insistent, before he could ask her what she was doing. Lee didn't have the most practice at kissing but he instinctively returned the gentle pressure and his manhood rose in response to a soft moan from Evie. Her breasts, full and ripe, were two warm weights pressing against his chest as they breathed in counterpoint to each other. Evie placed her elbows on his shoulders and her hands on top of his head as she slowly undulated against his pants. His brain finally caught up with him at that point and he pulled his head back.

"Wait... we can't. You know that." Lee said through heavy breaths.

"Why can't we?" Evie bent down and kissed his neck. "You keep saying you're going to transfer, right?" She kissed upwards towards his jaw. "We're gonna be all alone for at least three days." Lee stifled a groan as she caught his earlobe in her mouth before whispering, "I'll show you how good my mouth feels all over."

"I know you fucked Ollie." Lee knew it was desperate but it was all his flagging willpower could muster.

Evie straightened, looked him right in the eye, and burst into laughter, "Really, Lee? That's all you could come up with. I'd like to think I know a little about you and what I know tells me you couldn't give less of a shit."

_Damnit. She saw right through me. Only one thing to do._

"I'm not doing it." Lee growled, lifted Evie off of him, and made a swift exit out of the door.

The cool night air did wonders for both his erection and the heat pounding through his veins. He really didn't have a plan as he wandered the upper walkways of Megaton. Most of his thoughts revolved around what he was going to do, what Evie might be doing right now, and how this would screw the team up. Lee was fucked whatever he did and he knew it. If he slept with Evie, he knew that either Rachel or Wolf would ferret it out of her within a couple of days. It would probably be Rachel because the two had some kind of sick relationship where they constantly tried to shock each other with past exploits. Evelyn was just quiet about it. How would the other two react? Maybe they wouldn't care or maybe it would totally mess up the quad. It was always hard to tell. He had known one mixed group of mercs that had gotten into a shootout with each other over who was sleeping with who. It was the most stupid thing he had ever seen and he had vowed it would never happen to him.

"You look like you've got a lot on your mind, boy."

Lee looked up and cursed himself as he realized he had totally lost awareness of his surroundings. He could count on one hand the number of times he had down that in the last year and none of them had happened while he was walking anywhere. Leroy was sitting at a table outside of The GobStopper in a pair of loose pants and a copious amount of grayish chest hair.

"Hey, Leroy." The older freelancer had 'rented' Nova for the entire night as well as a room at The GobStopper for the next two days.

"What's up, Lee? You really do look like you're at your wit's end."

Lee took a seat and quickly told Leroy everything that had just happened. He was prepared for his mentor's reaction.

Once Leroy had controlled his laughter, he shook his head. "Boy, you always had a hardass head when you got a notion in it. You know that I'm forty years old by my reckoning? Shit. It seems like just yesterday I was a youngster like yourself. Anyway, my point is that you can't expect to live as long as I have. Hell, I never expected to live as long as I have and I've outlived everyone that came up with me except for three or four. You think that if you screw this girl, it'll mess things up permanently with the other two? Maybe she'll want to get serious and that'll really screw things up with the Rangers?" Lee nodded miserably. "So what? You've got a job you want to do and they can't _really_ stop you from doing it. You want this, she obviously wants it, and you both could die tomorrow. Life's never gonna be perfect, boy. That's one lesson you really should have learned all on your own. You take what it gives you and you enjoy what you can out of the shit sandwich. And, right now, life's givin' you a fuckin' chest full of ammo, food, and women. So what the fuck is your problem, huh?"

Lee sat there and stared at the sky before he chuckled, "I don't know, Uncle. Thanks for the talk. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See ya tomorrow, Lee." Leroy groaned and yawned, "Fuck. I know I'm getting old when I'm only good for two rounds after a dry spell of two weeks. I'll probably sleep until noon, too. Don't get old, boy."

"I'll work on that. 'Night."

Lee thought hard about what Leroy had said on his slow walk back home. By the time he walked through the threshold, he had made up his mind. Evelyn came hurrying down the steps, eyes red as though she had been crying, clothed in a long shirt that didn't conceal the fact that she was naked underneath. She immediately gave him a hug and mumbled something about being sorry for how she had acted.

"Look at me," Lee commanded her and she did with shining eyes.

Lee bent his knees and lifted her so that they were face-to-face. Before she could form a question, his lips were on hers in a furious kiss that he had been holding in for far too long. She moaned into his mouth and then her legs were around his waist. When they broke for air, Lee carried her over to the table and sat her on top of it. Evie took her shirt off as fast as she could and only gave Lee a second to look at her beautiful skin before she was pulling him back into her embrace. She sucked her way up his chest and neck before settling on that spot near his jaw.

"You're gonna need to take your pants off," she panted into his ear.

Lee slid out of his pants as she leaned back on the table to spread the lips of her pussy with both hands. He watched in amazement as the middle finger of her right hand teased a particular spot at the top. A bead of liquid quickly formed at the bottom and the fluid was quickly spread by that same middle finger to the apex. He took a moment to just admire the way Evie looked in that position. Her eyes were slits as she watched him in turn and her breasts were perfectly round mounds that moved in rhythm with her heavy breaths.

"Are you going to stare all night or are you gonna use that?" Evie asked in a surprisingly husky voice.

Lee, inexperienced as he was, fumbled as he tried to guide his throbbing organ into her open invitation. It felt wonderful and he was suddenly terrified that he wouldn't even make it inside before he finished all over them both. Thankfully, Evie was so worked up that his dick practically slid in of its own volition.

"Fuck yes!" Evelyn exclaimed in her normal speaking voice and Lee went completely still as he felt her clamp down around him.

The near-virgin could feel the pressure building up in his balls and groin before the first thrust. Evie looked up at him for a moment before leaning forward on the palms of her hands. She reached up to place one around his neck until he was hunched over her, cock still throbbing with impatience to finish its duty, and she kissed him tenderly on the neck.

"It's okay. I know it's been a long time and you've only been with one woman." Just her breathy whispers in his ear were almost enough to undo him. "You fuck me as hard and as fast as you want. I'll enjoy it and we can see about me after. Now fuck me. Please."

Evie locked her ankles behind his back and lay back down on the table just as he gave his first hard thrust. Once he started, he found that he couldn't stop. Evie started giving out thrilling little shouts with every thrust and he was absolutely mesmerized by the way her breasts moved as he pounded her mindlessly.

"Grab my tits." Evie demanded through gritted teeth and he did so with absolutely zero idea what to do after that. "Squeeze them while you fuck me."

That really seemed to set her off and her walls squeezed him even more strongly than before. Lee let out a strangled, drawn out hiss as his body clenched and his manhood jerked in fits as he emptied himself inside her. The feeling was incredible, better than he remembered, like liquid ecstasy pouring from the top of his head down to the tips of his toes. He was so spent that he slowly tilted forward until his head was resting between Evie's breasts. Lee could feel her heart beating furiously as she stroked his head and struggled to catch her breath.

"Nothing'll ever be the same again." Lee told her after he finally lifted his head to look her in the eyes.

Evelyn nodded but smiled widely. "Yes, but we're going to have so much fun now. I have a lot I wanna show you."

The petite Ranger, who was just full of surprises, punctuated that sentence with another squeeze of Lee's slowly shrinking manhood.

"Honestly, bonita?" Lee grinned at her and his heart was guilt-free, "I can't wait."


	12. XII

A/N: It was pointed out to me that I might want to write a disclaimer after the graphic sexual situation in the previous chapter. Here it is: This tale will contain both ugly and beautiful things. Points of view I don't necessarily share and behavior I would never condone. But it's a broad swathe of life that I'm trying to paint and so there will be scenes of graphic violence and sex. I will abide by the rules and not make it so gratuitous that it would be rated Adults-Only but I will try to keep the interactions realistic. Thank you for sticking with it this far.

* * *

_What I wouldn't give for my old hat right about now__!_ Wolf thought as the trio of travelers rested in the entryway of The Mart. _It would be perfect for shading my head from cooking like an egg. I have to see if a trader has some kind of hat with a wide-brim. I wouldn't even mind the girls teasing me about it._

The thought brought a brief, small smile to Wolf's face before other memories tainted the mood. Months of practice allowed her to not slump in defeat and settle into despondency. Rachel was uncharacteristically quiet as she sat on the floor facing the doors. She looked like something out of the stories Wolf's mother used to tell her. The enigmatic hero, framed by beams of light spearing through a darkened window, contemplating how best to thwart her enemies. Hell, even Gob looked the part as he knelt in prayer in the corner. Both Rangers had been surprised when, after a few sips of water, Gob had separated himself from them to pray.

Wolf took a last drink out of her canteen before scooting on her butt to Rachel's side.

"Do you think we'll make Underworld today?" Wolf asked hopefully.

Rachel chewed on a piece of jerky slowly as she thought. "If the bridge is clear, yes. If not, I doubt it. Crossing the river and doubling back will take up a lot of time."

"Let's hope the bridge is clear then. I really don't want to stay in Rivet. Reiner told me that all four of them have to sleep in the same leaky, small cabin and it's barely big enough for their gear." Wolf shrugged at Rachel's glance. "I brought enough for rooms at that expensive 'hotel' there but I'd rather not waste the caps."

Rachel nodded, took a drink of water, and went back to staring into space.

"Is everything okay, Rach?" She asked the pale woman.

Rachel ran a hand over her head, which was slowly being covered in a mat of blue-black hair. "Yes."

"You've just been awfully quiet ever since you told Gob to stop chatting away 'like a kid hopped up on Sugar Bombs'."

Rachel actually looked sheepish. "I could afford to talk when Lee was leading us. If we got caught, it was his fault. Now it's up to me to keep us safe and alive. So I'm quiet."

"You barely cursed, too."

Rachel grinned to reveal perfectly straight, grayish-white teeth. "Do you miss it?"

Wolf scoffed good-naturedly. "I just got used to it!"

Rachel rocked in place to nudge Wolf with her shoulder. "Tell you what. When we get someplace safe, I'll curse up a storm. How about that?"

Wolf laughed and rose to her feet. "I guess we should get moving then. Gob."

"I heard ya." The ghoul stood in his corner, crossed himself, and made his way over.

Rachel had, to Wolf's surprise, sprang to her feet with hardly a sound.

_And there I was suspecting that her and Lee were out fucking instead of actually training all this time. Maybe I can actually lead this crew._

The trio emerged into the bright, hot sunlight of the ruins of D.C. to begin their trek anew. Rachel ranged approximately twenty feet ahead of them and Gob, at Wolf's insistence, never strayed more than ten feet from Wolf in any direction. Rachel set a ground-eating pace that Wolf thought was almost identical to Lee's.

_I wonder if I should point any of this out to her... hell no._ Wolf had to actively restrain the urge to giggle at her errant thoughts.

Wolf kept an eye on their back-trail for the tell-tale glare of binoculars or dust on the horizon. Thankfully, they didn't have to worry about many animals being out at this time of day. Men, ghouls, super mutants and, if you believed the rumors, DeathClaws were the only creatures dumb enough to risk boiling in the daytime sun for food. No, Wolf was more concerned about raiders or slavers looking at Gob as a potential meal ticket. The slave trade was alive and booming; something she knew all too well. Wolf absentmindedly rubbed her left ear where a golden ring had once resided. People were quickly learning that ghouls made excellent bodies for hard labor. They were stronger than humans and required less of just about everything. Hell, to fix them up from all but the most catastrophic of injuries, an owner would simply let them absorb a low, steady dosage of rads over a couple of days. Wolf began to see red whenever she thought about it for too long.

"Hey, Gob." Wolf called quietly to the ghoul and waved him closer. "Tell me something. You look pretty comfortable in that gear. How the hell did you ever get taken alive by slavers?"

Gob laughed, bitterly and quietly. "I don't know how old I am but I've been 'workin' for Moriarty for fifteen years, Wolf." The ghoul shook his head, which seemed to become more leathery and less oozy with each second they spent in open sunlight, and sighed. "I was pretty dumb and stupid. I left Underworld with a .32 pistol and thought I'd go out and be like Argyle. Maybe find a good smoothskin like Daring Dashwood ta show me the ropes. Who was I foolin' with that shit? I was almost shot more times than I can count by the Brotherhood O' Steel before I even made it north of downtown. I wandered around up there, near Canterbury Commons, for maybe a month before they found me sleeping in one of the big metal containers scattered on the roads. The rest is history."

"That doesn't explain why you look like you know how to use all that gear you're carrying." Wolf gestured at the ghoul's arsenal.

"Moriarty didn't teach me how to shoot. I knew how to shoot sidearms and shotguns before I left Underworld. I just... I was a kid and didn't know how to live in the world. Hell, some think I'm still a kid, the way they talk ta me. You know ghouls don't need as much sleep as humans, right? Some of us just like to sleep a lot but we can go for a long time without any. Well, during the trading season, I hired this guy to teach me how to use one of these machete-swords a couple of years ago when we first started seeing them up here."

"Why? You had to know that Simms would have hung you if you killed Moriarty in cold-blood."

Gob sighed, "Yeah, I know. It woulda been worth it to see the look on his face but it was more about making a choice just for me. I played the role, played stupid, 'cause Moriarty would have killed me a long time ago if he even had a hint of what I was planning."

Wolf narrowed her eyes at him. "I get the feeling you've never killed anyone but you've thought about it."

"All the time." Gob practically whispered.

Wolf let the conversation drop as they marched on. They passed Wilhelm's Wharf and paused for a moment so that Grandma Sparkle could say hello to Rachel. The old woman seemed to like her and hinted that her oldest son had his eye on her after their last visit to repay them for the use of their raft. Rachel, to Wolf's amusement, actually seemed embarrassed by the old woman's words and quickly said her goodbyes.

Gob's prayers must have had some weight on high because the day was quiet and deceptively peaceful. Besides the buzzing of distant bloatflies and the occasional howl of a feral dog, there was next to no activity along the river. They made it to the bridge without encountering any super mutants but there was a squad of six BoS soldiers in full power armor patrolling the bridge. The lead soldier held out a hand for them to slow down when they met halfway across.

"State your business." Another, with sergeant's chevrons on his shoulderplate, came forward to speak to them.

"We're escorting this ghoul back to Underworld. We're with Reilly's Rangers."

"That means exactly shit to me, Waster!" The sergeant barked and was met with a flat stare from Wolf. "This zombie obviously ain't feral so we'll let you go but don't try anything funny or it'll be the last thing you try."

The sergeant tapped the barrel of his laser rifle for emphasis before waving his men forward. Rachel watched them all with tight hands on her assault rifle and breathed a sigh of relief when they passed.

"We were so fucked if they opened up. I need to buy a missile launcher or something. I haven't seen anything yet that could stand up to that. Better yet, a Fat Man."

"Have I gone crazy in the last five seconds?" Wolf asked her as they walked; before Rachel got too far ahead. "I must have if you even thought that I would give you something that shot mini-nukes."

"Hey, I'm responsible!"

Wolf just snorted and turned when Gob made a funny noise. "Yeah?"

"Why didn't we just go underground? I heard you can make it from the Arlington Metro all the way to Underworld without coming above ground."

Wolf nodded. "I'll tell you like Lee told us. The Underground is an even worse hellhole than the surface unless you know the right routes to take. All of the critters that you don't see out in the day are usually in burrows or in the tunnels. You add to that the raiders and super mutants that are always fighting for turf and that the Brotherhood goes down in force to clear pathways...you see where I'm going?" Gob nodded. "We have to do some backtracking and soft-stepping but it's better than fighting every inch of the way. We're mercs. We know that ammo is better than caps and we don't have a constant, ever-ready supply like in stories."

"Okay, okay. I get it. Sheesh." Gob let her see a chagrined grin before putting on his business face again.

"Route we're taking is tried and true and, with a little luck, we won't run into complications."

* * *

"Well, boys, looks like we hit the jackpot!" The leader of the gang of at least six Raiders howled gleefully as he gestured wildly with his matching .32's.

The man was decked out like a gunslinger from the really old stories Wolf's mom used to tell. He had a greasy looking T-shirt beneath two sets of bandoleers and the nastiest pair of tweed pants Wolf had ever seen. She couldn't see his footwear because the shadows in the dim lighting were thicker in that section of the room. It was also too dark for her to tell what the others looked like. She could see that several of them had lit cigarettes in their mouths. Rachel was probably pissed off that she hadn't smelled it because both Rangers knew that Lee would have and avoided the ambush. Rachel had given them enough warning to get their weapons up before the Raiders had sprang from their hiding spots.

Wolf, Rachel and Gob had been crossing through one of the substations on their way to Underworld. They had thought they were practically home-free and then they had entered a larger workroom. Desks and shelves with equipment littered the place except for a cleared space in the center of the room. That's where the trap had been sprung.

The trio stood back-to-back in the center of the room. Gob had his semi-automatic in one hand and his machete-sword in the other. Rachel wielded her assault rifle in both hands while Wolf held her SMG and N99 ready for action. Surrounded like this, they would need to put out a lot of rounds to make the Raiders hesitate.

Someone inhaled loudly and began giggling in a way that set Wolf's nerves on edge. Then the telltale sound of a person using a pressurized syringe echoed through the room. She doubted that it was a stimpak.

"Now, this is how it's gonna go, lady." The apparent leader said, his tone jovial and not at all reassuring, "You're gonna set those heaters down and come along. Some of us here are kinda gonzo and don't take real well to resistin'. We'll treat you right and, if you're good, we might even let you join the gang. We're real up-and-comers."

"Rachel," Wolf was glad her voice was steadier than the rolling sea of anxiety that was her insides, "Now would be time for the familiar."

To Rachel's credit, it only took her a second to get it. "How about you take that deal, spit on it, and shove it up your ass? Though, by the looks of you and your boyfriend over there, you're used to it. How's this for a deal?" Rachel detached something from the strap of her backpack and Wolf knew exactly what it was. "You get the fuck out of our way, asshole, or I pull this pin and send a few of you straight to Hell early before I use my little friend here to skullfuck the rest to join you!"

The giggling started coming from three sources now and that really unnerved Wolf.

"I like you. You're about as gonzo as Mickey. Hey, Mickey! Show her what you're packin'!"

Someone came out of the shadows on Rachel's side and Rachel started laughing herself. "Are you fucking with me? A goddamned mini-gun with you guys packed in like this? You _are _fucking crazy! I can have this pin pulled and the grenade up your ass before that thing even spins up. Believe it."

"It looks like it's a good old-"

"**Found you**!" The stentorian bellow of delight could only have been uttered by one kind of throat and everyone froze in a split-second of tiny mammalian fear.

"Muties!" A woman screamed just before the shelf the bandoleer-clad leader was standing in front of came crashing down.

"Fuck!" He had time to screech before the heavy weight slammed into him and then he was wailing in agony.

_It probably broke his ribs, crushed his legs and pelvis, at least; no punctured lung if he's screaming like that._

The man raised his pistols and fired into the dark at the hulking shape that had toppled the shelf. Sparks flew as the bullets struck unseen metal. A pair of eyes, nearly touching the ceiling, glowed yellow-green in the dark before a massive boot came down on the Raider's skull. Gore splattered across the floor and the mini-gun toting Raider spun the barrels of his weapon up.

"Die, Mutie!" He roared and flecks of foam flew from his lips.

The other Raiders opened up on the shadowed super mutant with a variety of small arms: shotguns, pistols, and hunting rifles. None of them were armed with an assault rifle or another mini-gun. They also forgot a valuable rule that Nathan and Reilly had drilled into Wolf's head.

Super Mutants never traveled alone.

"**Stupid human**!" A massive spiked-bat came out of the darkness and obliterated the skull of Mickey in one swipe.

"Stay low! On me!" Rachel shouted and ran towards their exit as chaos engulfed the room.

There were only two exits and, once they came into view of theirs, Wolf almost stopped as she saw the terrifying form of another super mutant in the doorway.

"Knees!" Wolf found herself shouting to Rachel as she holstered her sidearm at a jog and sighted her SMG with both hands.

"**Come, humans****! ****Hahahaha****! ****It hurts****!"** The super mutant wailed in pain as Rachel and Wolf shredded its unarmored knees.

_I guess all those lessons paid off._

Rachel emptied the last of her magazine into the mutie's hunting rifle wielding arm as they jogged up to it. Wolf stopped a couple feet away, aimed, and emptied the last ten rounds into its skull right above the creepy eyes.

"**Uuuurgh..."**

_Shit, they're tough!_

The thunderous boom of a .44 going off brought her attention briefly to Gob. He had produced his customized magnum from somewhere and had brought the super mutant to a swift, if gruesome, end.

"I saw what you did to my friends!" Someone's shout managed to rise above the sound of the fight behind them just before the mini-gun started up again.

"Let's get the fuck out of here!" Wolf shouted and shoved Gob in line behind Rachel.

* * *

Rachel finally stopped in an alcove after they had run for what seemed like hours. They had long ago left the sounds of the firefight behind them; it hadn't lasted long. Shrill screams and incomprehensible pleas to God had followed them for a short distance before too many turns prevented them from hearing it.

That had been a blessing for Wolf's nerves.

"Anyone injured?" She asked once she finally got her breath back.

Gob, who was squatting on the floor, shook his head as he slipped a bullet into his .44's cylinder.

"I'm good." Rachel said as she quickly unscrewed the lid of her canteen for a drink.

She handed Wolf the container when she was done and the leader of Echo swallowed a mouthful. Rachel took it back with a deep breath and shook her head.

"Lee will never believe what he missed." Rachel checked over her assault rifle for damage.

_Two more full mags besides the one in my SMG_, Wolf reminded herself as she made sure her own weapon wasn't jammed. _Sixty spare 10mm rounds. Three clips for the N99 plus one in the well. Should we restock at Rivet? It's closer than Underworld, I think. No, we can get a better deal in Underworld or, better yet, get free ammo back at base._

"Ready?" Wolf asked as she worked the bolt on her weapon. "Weapons out. I don't want anymore surprises today."

Gob stood and attached a sling to his shotgun. "I'm ready."

The ghoul looked more confident every foot they stepped closer to Underworld. It was a miraculous transformation.

Rachel snorted, "Let's go."

_Fuck. It's easy to forget how big they are up close._

Wolf let her mind empty as they walked the lonely tunnels of the Metro. If she let her mind wander, the Ranger had no doubt that she would begin seeing shining eyes in every shadowed corner they passed. With as many shadows as there were in the dimly-lit railways, the trio wouldn't get to Underworld before dark if Wolf let it get the best of her.

During this time of day, the nocturnal animals that took refuge in the Metro would be sleeping in preparation for their surface foraging. The rest of the trip was uneventful and they found themselves ascending the steps to leading up to the surface. Wolf was relieved that the sun was just drifting below the skyline of Downtown as the trio came level with the street. The whine of what could only be a laser rifle, Wolf still had trouble believing the things worked since she had yet to see anyone actually shoot one, drew her attention to the left.

Willow stood there, rifle pointed directly at Wolf's head, and chuckled. "It's you two again. A little late for tourists out on the Mall. What-? Gob!"

Gob's voice was soft as he said. "Hey, Will."

"It's you!" Wolf barely got out of the way before Willow came crashing into Gob to give him a hug that would have probably crushed a human. "It's really you!"

"Hey, Will. I missed you, too." Gob's voice turned sad as Willow released him and powered down her rifle. "I guess Tully's gone, huh?"

"Yeah," Willow's rheumy blue-gray orbs cast downward in her sadness. "He went feral a few years after you left. We think it was all the time he spent out here and in the station making sure nobody snuck up on us. I think those Steel assholes got him but I ain't sure." Willow looked up and gave a smile that caused the muscles in her lower jaw to ripple beneath the translucent layer of dermis that covered them. "I was just about to go inside. Come on! Everyone's going to go crazy! It's been so long time since one of us left and actually made it back!"

Gob smiled and let Willow drag him to the doors of the museum while Rachel and Wolf followed closely behind them. Willow was right, even Cerberus seemed less grumpy than usual upon scanning Gob, and it seemed as though all of the ghouls in Underworld gathered around the returning resident before Carol shouldered her way through the crowd.

"Oh, Byron..." The elder ghoul sounded as though she would have cried if her tear ducts still worked properly. "Oh, Byron!"

Carol actually collapsed to her knees and starting sobbing, with a decided lack of tears, before Gob knelt in front of her to embrace her tightly. Wolf did not miss the look in the eyes of Greta as Carol and Gob shared a tender moment.

"Alright, you buncha gawkers! Let's give them a chance ta breath! Back to whatever you were doin'!" Winthrop shouted and dispersed the crowd with a few kicks to those reluctant to break it up.

"I missed you so much, Byron!" Carol whispered, the cords in her hands stood out with the power of her grip on Gob's armored back.

"I missed you, too... Mom."

If Carol had been human, Wolf knew that the tears would have really started gushing from her eyes then. Wolf's own eyes were beginning to mist as the scene drudged up old memories that she would have much rather forgotten.

"Let's go upstairs, you two." Greta suggested and Gob helped Carol to her feet.

The Rangers followed the trio of ghouls up to Carol's Place. Gob and Carol sat on the large bed that Lee had told them the two female ghouls shared as they began talking quietly with their heads touching. It was a scene that only the coldest of bitches would deny the sweetness of.

"Greta, right?" Rachel asked, "Where the fuck's our money?"

* * *

Wolf and Rachel departed Underworld approximately four hours later. They had requested the use of a pair of beds after receiving their payment and both had slept like the dead. Upon waking, Gob had informed them that he would be staying for a week. They had agreed to meet him in a week and quickly taken their leave of Underworld. Both of them, even though neither would admit it, had gotten used to having the ability to shower and plenty of food to eat. Those two luxuries were conspicuously absent in Underworld.

The trip to Ranger HQ was a breeze and that wasn't a surprise. As they had told Gob, the majority of the creatures that inhabited the Metro hunted above ground at night. The super mutants were especially active at night since they had better night vision and a superior sense of smell than the average human. That meant that the only thing they had to worry about were hidden Raider camps and, this close to HQ, the odds of encountering them were slim-to-none.

The changes that had taken place while they were gone were apparent as soon as they stepped into the courtyard. A complete building face, up to the second-floor, greeted them and there was what looked like some kind of frame around the third floor. The Ranger crest was painted in bold color right in the center. Two low, solid walls of concrete dividers, probably scavenged from a highway somewhere, arched in front of the entrance. The biggest surprises were the two mini-guns, far larger than the ones people carried on their backs, that flanked the archway leading to the door that opened to the subterranean part of the compound.

A computerized voice blared, "Halt! Identify yourselves!"

The mini-guns whirled in their direction far faster than Wolf would have anticipated and the two women immediately stopped.

"Wolf. Echo One."

"Rachel. Echo Three."

"Identities verified. Welcome home, Rangers." The voice greeted them and the mini-guns returned to their silent vigil.

"Go on down. They are expectin' you." Charon's voice called down to them from the top of the building and the two looked up saw him silhouetted against the starry sky.

As they resumed their walk, Rachel said, "Was that a fucking missile launcher on his back?"

"I think so." Wolf answered her with an eyeroll because she knew exactly what was coming.

_Why can't I have one?_

"Why can't I have one?"

Wolf's laughter only made Rachel stamp her foot in irritation.

* * *

Rachel sighed with contentment as the warm water poured over her body. Showering on a daily basis wasn't a luxury she had been allowed even back among the Clan before her exile. It just felt so good to be clean even if the soap made her feel strange for a few hours afterwards. There wasn't even a time limit since it was just Rachel and Wolf using the barracks. All of the other quads were holed up at their own sub-HQs or staying at another quad's while they completed a mission. Even the command crew had left HQ a few hours after Rachel and Wolf had arrived to get a little field-work in. Wolf had the pertinent codes and vocal passwords for the various security systems.

_I loved the look on her face when Reilly said that I could have one of the spare missile launchers and a whole duffel of ammo for it. Of course that bitch Sydney just had to go on and on about how rare the fucking things were like I didn't know that; she's still so fucking delicious. I wonder where the fuck they got all that shit?_

Nathan and Reilly had been impressed with the additional six hundred caps they had brought back with them. It was the Rangers share of the side jobs they had been taking on in Megaton. They had been less than impressed with the scanty mapper data but Echo had met its quota so there hadn't been any reprimands handed out. Wolf and Rachel had been excused from going out with them since they had just arrived but they had been warned that they would be expected to serve on temporary quads with Command members tomorrow.

_What the fuck am I going to do all day? I'm not even that tired._

Rachel finished her shower and lazily toweled off as she pushed the swinging door to exit. The second floor actually had complete walls and doors. That had been a welcome change. Hell, they could even lock the barracks from the inside if they wanted to. Wolf had been finishing her own shower when Rachel had entered the bathroom and the pale Ranger thought her quad leader would be asleep.

Muffled singing coming through the door to the barracks proved that idea wrong.

Rachel eased the door open and listened as she stood there naked because she had completely forgotten the towel in her hand. Wolf sat on the edge of her bedroll, arms around her knees, as she slowly rocked.

"Give joy or grief,

Give ease or pain,

Take life or friends away,

But let me find them all again,

In that eternal day."

A brief burst of sobs broke the song in two but Wolf, in a wavering voice, managed to finish.

"And I'll sing hallelujah,

And you'll sing hallelujah,

And we'll all sing hallelujah,

When we arrive at home."

Rachel knew the song was over because Wolf lowered her head to rest on her forearms and managed to silently cry. Heart somewhere in the pit of her stomach, Rachel found herself wrapping her towel around her body as she walked to Wolf's side. The normally caustic woman quietly sat next to her friend and quad leader. She hesitantly placed an arm across Wolf's shoulders and was shocked when Wolf embraced her instantly. Rachel was quick to notice the steel flask that Wolf carried with her everywhere. It was the first time that Rachel had ever seen the woman use it though.

"I couldn't save them. They wouldn't let me." Wolf's voice was soft and broken. "I tried to get to them but they beat me. They beat me so bad. Do you think they blame me? Little Johnny loved me so much but he hated how I was always away helpin' fix folks."

Wolf's accent, usually hard to discern, was noticeably thicker as she spoke. Rachel, despite what people thought, knew when to be quiet and she did so now.

"Bobby was always so good to me, you know? I swear that man would have tried to kill a grizzly with his bare hands if I had asked him to. They shot him dead as quick as they could. Right in the head. Fucking cowards. I got 'em though, Bobby. I got 'em for you."

Wolf squeezed Rachel's waist even harder as fresh sobs racked her body. Rachel had no idea who these people were since Wolf rarely talked about her past at all but it sounded like Bobby had been her man and Johnny at least one of her kids.

"I had three kids. I ever tell you that? I had three kids and I bore 'em all alive. Anne, Loretta, and Little Johnny. They killed them all. Marched 'em to death trying to get 'em past Charleston so they wouldn't have to pay nobody. I tried. God, I tried so hard. I even let the leader... he lied to me. I got 'em good. He begged and begged and begged but I just kept hitting his ugly fucking face." Wolf really started shaking then in her grief, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." The rapid-fire words began to blend together and then the golden-skinned woman stilled. "You're so much nicer than you let on, Rachel. I know it. I love you all. You're my family now. All of you." Wolf looked up and her eyes seemed to dig deep into Rachel's center.

_Okay. Rein it in, Rachel. She can't be thinking what I think she's thinking._

"I know how you look at me."

Before Rachel could respond, Wolf was pressing her lips forcefully against her own.

_Hmm, that's good whiskey._

The errant thought didn't stop Rachel from responding, against her better judgment, as she had been having persistent sexual thoughts about her quad leader for weeks.

"Make me forget, Rach. I need to forget." Wolf's voice became hoarse with sorrow and need as she tugged off her top.

Rachel flung her towel to the side and tugged Wolf's underwear off before she pounced on top of her. Wolf's heavy breasts were topped with large, golden-brown nipples that Rachel had longed to suck on and she did so with great abandon. The mewling noises that Wolf made only served to stoke the fires of lust burning within Rachel even higher. Rachel pressed her thigh against Wolf's hot, surprisingly wet, pussy and lowered her head so that she could whisper to her lover.

"I've wanted this for so long. You're so beautiful. God, you're beautiful." Rachel blushed a furious shade of red at the cheesy words spewing from her lips but she couldn't help herself.

_I've _never_ said anything like that. Fucking Lee's rubbing off on me._

"You make me feel beautiful," Wolf whispered and cut off further speech by reaching up to pull Rachel into a heated kiss. When they broke apart, Wolf managed to say between moans, "Don't stop. Press harder!"

Rachel moved with Wolf in a rhythmic motion as the smaller woman undulated her hips beneath her. The slickness on her thigh surprised Rachel but that didn't stop the devilish smile from blossoming on her face as Wolf's features contorted in a silent grimace as her orgasm washed over her. Wolf shuddered convulsively for what seemed several minutes before finally stilling. Rachel rolled off of Wolf and the stickiness on her thigh matched that between her own legs.

_I guess I should go and take care of this. _Rachel looked at Wolf with a smug grin. _I guess I did my job well. I don't think she remembers her own name._

Rachel reached over to retrieve her towel and was stopped by Wolf's iron grip around her wrist.

"We're not done yet."

Rachel was so completely caught off-guard that she had taken Wolf's place before she even registered that the slightly inebriated woman had moved.

"I'm not that drunk and you're going to cum for me." Wolf whispered as she straddled Rachel's toned abdomen. She leaned close until her shining amber eyes were barely an inch from Rachel's obsidian orbs. "Are you going to be a good girl for me?"

There were few sexual firsts that Rachel had left but meekly nodding was certainly one of them.


	13. XIII

The warmth of a body lying beside her was something that Wolf had missed terribly in the last year or so. She opened her eyes to take in the sight of Rachel with a small, contented smile on her face, as the pale woman slept beside her. Wolf looked down to her sternum where one of Rachel's hands rested. She ran the tip of one finger along the back of her hand, tracing the metacarpals.

The last week had passed in peaks and valleys for Wolf; physically and emotionally. The pair of Rangers had been broken up and paired with different groups in Command for mapping runs. Oddly enough, Wolf's team hadn't encountered a single Mutie while Rachel's had encountered half a dozen. Wolf was a little jealous that Rachel had gotten the extra bounty money they were paid with proof of a super mutant kill. At night, Wolf and Rachel had the barracks to themselves and spent a lot of the time just talking about their lives prior to the Rangers. Wolf hadn't talked to anyone about it since parting ways with Janice in Rivet City. She had never thought Rachel would be the one she unburdened herself to but that's exactly what had happened. Rachel had also shared and the details of her life were astonishing to Wolf. It certainly explained a lot about her attitude and proficiency at combat.

Then, not to be overlooked, was the fact that the two had mind-blowing sex almost every night. Wolf had only ever fooled around with another girl a few months before she got married at 16 and it had been nothing like what she experienced with Rachel. Sometimes, her vision dimmed and she thought she would actually pass out from the strength of her orgasms. Rachel had also been pleased that Wolf was a screamer and that her mouth got progressively filthier the longer things went on. For her part, Wolf had learned that Rachel could be very vocal but when it was particularly intense, the woman's mouth transitioned between painful grimace and ecstasy as she went over the edge.

_I don't want to stop but I have to. Fuck._

Wolf's pondering was interrupted by a snort of disgust from the entrance to the barracks. She raised her head to see Brick's shadowed form standing in the doorway.

"You two make me fucking sick with this lovey-dovey crap! Ugh, you're worse than Syd and Nate. 'Oh, I love you! Let's snuggle!' Fucking stupid, if you ask me." Brick snorted again and shook her head. "Nathan wanted me to remind you that you should leave in a couple of hours if you want to make Underworld by dawn."

Brick quickly took her leave and Wolf chuckled quietly.

"God, what a bitch. What the fuck's her problem?" Rachel grumbled irritably as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Maybe she needs to get laid?" Wolf suggested, smiling at Rachel's innocent, semiconscious visage.

"That ain't it, according to Sydney. Supposedly, she fucks the brains out of the heavy weapons guy on Alpha every chance she gets and Alpha's back here at least once every week and a half for a couple of days."

"Maybe she's just like that." Wolf's smile widened as Rachel slid closer until their faces were barely an inch from each others.

"Hey." Rachel said with a tiny smile just before she bit her lip timidly.

Wolf didn't know if Rachel was disarming like that on purpose because she knew Wolf would have reacted badly to her usual hyperaggression or if something about the situation did actually make the normally fearless Ranger nervous. Rachel was definitely clever enough to do the former but something told Wolf it was the latter.

_Maybe she's in love with me? No, that's stupid. But, I do think I love all of my quad. That's weird. When did that happen? That doesn't matter. You can't go around fucking your quad. It'll just fuck things up; Lee's right._ Wolf concentrated on pressing her lips to Rachel's to derail thoughts of Lee and Evelyn.

Rachel's hands went to her breasts and began fondling them with surprising skill after so few days of experience. It quietly amused Wolf how preoccupied the pale Ranger seemed to be with her breasts. She had noticed that most of the women out here had smaller busts than she did. The medic in her said it probably had a lot to do with childhood malnutrition than anything else. Women of the Capital Waste also seemed to tend towards having almost boyishly slender builds. They were a far cry from the sort of curvy women Wolf grew up with in the mountains of her former home.

Wolf found her own hands reaching to Rachel's taut, muscled bottom and had to force herself to stop. They had to stop eventually and now was as good a time as any. She pulled back and looked into Rachel's obsidian eyes before lowering her own.

_Just do it._

Before she could say a word, Rachel beat her to it, "We have to stop. That's what you want to say." Wolf sighed deeply before nodding. "I knew it was coming. I figured you thought like Lee about it. I think we could make it work."

"Maybe one day, but I think it's too early now."

Rachel's smile slowly disappeared and the faintest hint of the vulnerable Rachel that Wolf had come to see slipped through the tough exterior. "But you had fun, right?"

"Yes." And just like that the smile reappeared even if it was a little dimmer than before.

_Fuck yes_.

* * *

"Damnit!" Wolf wheezed as she slowly made her way up the Metro steps to the front of the museum Underworld was located in. "You'd better hope to God that Gob doesn't have a lot of stuff or you're leaving some of this shit!"

Wolf, in addition to the spare medical supplies she had scrounged from HQ, was carrying Rachel's duffel bag full of ammo for her newly acquired missile launcher. The bag must have weighed thirty pounds and it was all dead weight on her back. Rachel was even more heavily burdened with a bandoleer of half a dozen missiles across her chest and the missile launcher in two parts across her back. The duo were a Raider's wet dream and not just because they were attractive young women. They carried enough gear between them to outfit three times their number or feed a small group for months if they sold it all at a fair price. It had made Wolf nervous but they had encountered little beyond a lone feral ghoul that Rachel had put out of its misery. The most dangerous thing that had happened was Wolf stepping in a gargantuan pile of mole-rat shit.

"And people say I'm the one that bitches all the time?" Rachel teased as they reached the top of the stairs.

Willow was on watch and greeted them cheerfully as they passed her. Cerberus was his usual self and directed them to The Bar when they asked where Gob was. Wolf was surprised at the reception that received upon this visit to Underworld. Many of the ghouls, most of who she had never talked to, greeted both Rangers by name with jaunty waves. It seemed that returning a wayward son went a long way to repairing the initial damage from their first trip to Underworld. Wolf supposed she couldn't blame the ghouls. All three of the women in Echo had certainly been making subtle faces at Lee's familiarity with the ghouls.

Wolf suppressed a groan as they ascended the stairs to the left of the entrance. She really hoped that Gob would be willing to haul some of the ordinance that Rachel just had to have. Rachel held the door for her as they entered The Bar and discovered Gob behind the bar demonstrating how to mix a drink of some sort.

"Remember, ghoul taste-buds are for shit so you don't have to put anything in it to try to cut the taste. Humans like to cut their booze wit' fruit-nut or mutfruit juice but ghouls can take it straight up. The higher the alcohol content, the better. Our livers work better than humans, I guess, cause it takes a lot to get one of us drunk." Gob looked up and nodded to them in greeting. "Alright, Percy, time for me ta go. I'll see about getting you some shipments of booze when I get back to Megaton. Maybe work something out with the boys in Rivet since they're closer."

Percy, a heavy-set ghoul wearing overalls, nodded quickly. "Thanks, Gob. I was startin' to get a little worried about what we were gonna do when the booze ran out." Then Percy got a look at the Rangers waiting for him and whistled. "You freakin' stud! How many girls you taking with you!"

Gob laughed easily and clapped Percy on the shoulder. "It ain't like that, Perc. Take it easy."

"Yeah, you too."

Gob walked around the bar and Wolf was glad to see that he seemed ready for travel. He didn't have his weapons on him except for his machete-sword and custom magnum revolver but he was armored. The ghoul let out a low whistle as he set his sights on the new weaponry the pair was hauling.

"I guess it's a lucky thing I hired Venus." He grinned and shook his head.

"Who?" Wolf asked and turned to follow Gob's outstretched arm.

A silent figure stepped out of the shadows and Wolf had to restrain the urge to jump at being caught so unaware. It was a ghoul, a woman judging from the swell of her hips even in the worn leather armor she wore, and she was nearly as tall as Rachel. She had wide, almost masculine shoulders, and seemed thicker than Wolf's fellow Ranger. A black bandana made her face hard to see but the eyepatch with a bright purple bulls-eye painted on it seemed to glare malevolently out of the dark. If it wasn't for the outrageous color, it would have been very intimidating. Rachel, of course, reacted in her usual fashion.

"Fuck!" She exclaimed and hopped back melodramatically. "Damn, Gob! You got yourself another Charon? Does she talk or is she mute like him and just stands around being creepy as shit?"

The ghoul in question stepped further into the light and Wolf was instantly fascinated. Her skin was still there, gray and leathery, but she still had it all. In the dim light, she could almost pass for human until you got close enough to see the cloudy quality of her eyes.

"Oh, shit." Gob muttered and seemed about to say more when the previously silent ghoul beat him to the punch.

"Yeah, I can fucking talk, you stupid cunt!" Her voice was undamaged, girlish, and very out of place with her general appearance. "Maybe I just like to get the lay before I open my fucking cock-trap and make a goddamned fool of myself! Maybe I should smash your fucking face in and teach you not to be such a lippy fucking whore! That sound good?"

Wolf sighed and could feel Rachel bristling beside her as the Ranger's temper flared.

"You wanna go, you big bitch? Let's fucking go." Wolf turned to find Rachel slipping the missile launcher off her back. "I eat cunts like you for breakfast! Don't you know who the fuck I am?"

Wolf bit her lip against the sudden urge to giggle that came over her.

"I don't give a shit, you pasty fuck! I haven't had a chance to beat anyone's ass in weeks! I'm gonna enjoy this!"

Venus held up an arm and Wolf tilted her head to read the brilliant pink letters emblazoned on her forearm guard. 'Baddest Bitch', was what it said, and Wolf had to restrain the urge to laugh again. That urge was quickly killed when Venus squeezed her hand into a fist and the muscles beneath the guard caused it to flex outward.

"Alright, Rach, calm down. We've got a long walk ahead of us." Wolf laid a restraining hand on Rachel's forearm and shook her head.

"Yeah, Venus." Gob clapped her on the shoulderpad and the woman barely moved. "I told you how Rachel is."

"Yeah, but I never thought anybody could be that big of a bitch and still be alive."

Rachel spluttered. "Me! What about you, whore?"

Gob and Wolf turned to each other as they simultaneously rolled their eyes. It took a few moments of quiet prodding and shushing before the quartet left The Bar. Venus led the way and Rachel was at the back of the line. Wolf was bemused by the sight of the broad-shouldered Venus strutting around like a cat with its back up.

_How long has it been since I've even seen a cat?_

Wolf didn't have long to follow that depressing train of thought as they entered Carol's place by the guest beds. Venus and Gob retrieved their equipment from a padlocked locker. Venus put on a shoulder sheathe for a combat knife over a harness for grenades before securing her backpack. She lovingly slid a hand down the long barrel of a sniper rifle before slinging the hefty weapon over her left shoulder. Wolf had noticed the empty holster at the ghoul woman's waist and raised her eyebrows as Venus placed a laser pistol inside it. Finally an equipment belt, bulging with spare magazines, cartridges and who knew what else, went around her waist. Gob waited patiently for Venus to finish before heading towards the front desk.

The farewell wasn't as long or as emotional as Gob's greeting. Wolf supposed all of the theatrics had occurred before they arrived. Carol hugged Gob close, whispered something to him, and then told his three female companions to watch out for him. Rachel snorted and Venus rolled her eyes but Wolf had solemnly promised to do just that. In fact, the walk to the exterior of the museum took longer than the goodbye. It seemed as though everyone wanted to wish Gob luck or give him a hug. To Wolf's bemusement, Rachel and Venus both seemed to bristle at the delay. Once they were outside, Venus raised her hands and sighed loudly.

"Fuck. No one ever told me everyone in Underworld was a fuckin' sap. Jesus, I thought that one girl was going to offer to suck your fuckin' dick off before we left, G."

Rachel coughed to cover up the chuckle that had obviously threatened to escape from her. "What route do you wanna take, Wolf? We could go detour around that ambush or we could bag us some Muties. Your choice."

Wolf shook her head. "Not really. Gob, what do you want to do?"

"That route needs ta be safe. We're gonna take 'em."

* * *

The super mutants that had taken up residence along the route to Underworld had fortified the entrance and exit to the substation with concrete barriers and barbed wire. A pair of sentries, unarmored and armed with melee weapons, argued loudly over who would eat the last piece of human liver that was left. The larger, older one clouted its smaller comrade on the side of the head and laughed as it roared in outrage. That roar was lost beneath the harsh report of a .308 round being discharged. Before the sound has registered, the bullet had shattered a path through the super mutant's nasal cavity and into its brain. It toppled to the floor in a heap of twitching limbs, resisting death, and its companion shouted a warning.

"**Sneaky humans!**"

It made a mad dash for the source of the muzzle flash that was lost in the darkness of the far end of the tunnel. Before more than a dozen feet had been left behind it, the super mutant was felled by a shot through the throat that severed the windpipe. It fell to the floor, mouth agape as it held a hand to the hole in its body, and writhed in agony. A round object came rolling out of the dim corridor and, defying all odds of probability, bounced directly into the open maw of the injured super mutant. It had a single moment to comprehend what had just happened to it before the grenade detonated in a shower of fire and gore.

"**Die, humans!**" The leader of the small group came charging out of the doorway to the substation with an appropriated mini-gun in its hands.

The ominous whir of the weapons barrels spinning filled the area seconds before a hail of 5mm rounds sailed downrange. Insane laughter rumbled from the super mutant's chest as he ran at a full-sprint down the tunnel; confident in the protection that its makeshift helmet and chestplate offered. Only the monster's prodigious strength allowed him to keep the weapon level at the furious pace it was setting. There was no return fire even when the mini-gun stopped to cool down. A mind less clouded by the haze of berserker rage might have stopped and proceeded a bit more cautiously but the super mutant was not one of those minds. A barely audible metallic 'clink' was its only warning before a pair of grenades detonated on either side of the crazed mutant. The blasts were not enough to outright kill the behemoth but they did cause it to stumble and fall a few feet away covered in dozens of shrapnel wounds. The tumble had knocked over a loose pile of stones beneath the bleeding super mutant and its eyes widened at what had been revealed.

A pair of grenades had rolled free directly beneath its crotch.

The super mutant roared in fury just before the grenades exploded and lifted its limp body several feet off the ground. Amazingly, it was still conscious and feebly twitching despite loops of slimy, gray-green intestine splayed across the ruins of its hips. Malevolent red eyes glared at the figures approaching it from the shadows. One of them pointed a shiny object at its head.

"You've got a fucking missile launcher, bitch. I got dibs on the minigun."

Those were the last words that this particular super mutant ever heard.

* * *

Wolf had hoped that the rest of the trip would be smooth sailing since it had gone so well thus far. There hadn't been much in terms of food or ammo left behind by the super mutants. Hell, there hadn't been much left of the Raiders. Venus had acquired the damaged and currently not working minigun for her own despite Rachel's protests. Besides that, there had been nothing worth salvaging except fingers so the Ranger women could collect their bonus later. Still, Wolf had felt good about what they had done. Their small group had kept the way clear for trade and honest folk just like Nathan had promised when she had signed up.

That good feeling had lasted right up until they were approaching the SuperDuper Mart. Rachel had gone ahead to scout the way after passing her missile launcher to Gob. She seemed obsessed with proving to Wolf that Lee had taught her something useful, and returned quickly with a struggling man being dragged behind her. She tossed him down and knelt to undo the impromptu gag.

"You scream and I'll cut your fucking tongue out. Understand?" Rachel asked the man in black mercenary leathers.

The man nodded quickly and his bright blue eyes widened with pain as Rachel wrapped a hand around his throat.

"For insurance," she told him and undid the cloth gag. "This fucker was watching for us but he did a piss-poor job of it obviously. I recognize that patch." She pointed to a dirty green-gold patch on his shirt with some kind of bird on it. "He's one of Lane's boys and they only provide muscle for drug dealers and runners. So, fucker, why were you watching the trail?"

"How do you know I was watching for you?" He croaked around the grip Rachel had on his throat. "I might just be a Raider."

Rachel laughed mirthlessly. "Not with that gear. And Gob's the only reason you'd be out here protecting one of your bosses. Now... how many of you are there and what does your boss want?"

"He just wants to talk, alright! There's six of us, plus the boss."

Rachel narrowed her eyes and then replaced the gag. She checked how secure his restraints were before gesturing for the others to follow her so they could talk in private.

"Do you know what this is about, Gob?" Wolf asked immediately.

"Best I can think, someone didn't take kindly to me not being a gateway for their drugs to get into this part of the Waste. The liquor I can deal with but I told them I didn't want to have anything more to do with jet and psycho. I know they supply a lot of the slavers and Raiders with it and get slaves from them for it."

"Okay." Wolf thought for a moment before nodding. "We could talk to them or go around them. It's your choice, Gob, but you'll have to deal with it someday."

Gob did not hesitate, "I'm going to talk to them."

"All right." Wolf rubbed her gloved hands together. "They don't know about Venus since we didn't leave with her. I want you to tail us and find a good sniping spot to cover us from. If it goes bad, you take out whoever looks like they have the biggest gun. The rest of us will go with that asshole. I want safeties off, holsters unfastened and everyone focused, okay?"

Venus looked at the other two as they agreed and assumed it was because she had yet to see Wolf be so assertive.

"One more thing." Rachel spoke up. "I know that type of asshole. That outfit might be twice that number."

"We can take them." Wolf grinned in a manner attributed to her namesake. "Let's do it."

Wolf, Gob and Rachel went back to the mercenary after readying themselves while Venus hid in order to trail them. Wolf undid the man's binds gently and helped him to his feet.

"Sorry about that, buddy." Wolf patted him on the shoulder. "We've just had a long, rough trip. You know how it goes. Can't be too careful. Why don't you lead us to your boss and we can get this all sorted out."

"Okay, good. Can I get my gun back now?" He held out a hand to Rachel and the pale Ranger begrudgingly handed him a 10mm pistol.

Wolf wasn't surprised when he led them to the Mart. It was an ideal location to hole up to watch the route to Megaton and they had probably been camped out for at least half a week. She knew that Venus would be able to find a spot with a wide view of the front lot. Their prisoner loudly greeted a sentry that had been posted on the roof and received a wave in return. He jumped up and down on the roof before shouting something that Wolf couldn't make out. Wolf and company stopped thirty feet from the entrance to wait while the man went inside. Each of them placed their heavy packs on the ground without a word being spoken as they waited. They didn't have to wait long before ten men boiled out of the Mart. Each was armed and looked meaner than hell. Even their former prisoner held his siderarm on them with a contemptuous sneer on his face. Wolf looked down the line facing off against them and was a little disappointed by the arms she saw. There was one assault rifle and one guy with a flamethrower but the rest of them were armed with shotguns and 10mm pistols.

_Venus will definitely take out the flamer first._ Wolf made the mental note and eliminated him as a target.

Two final people emerged from the interior of the Mart. One of them was a big merc that carried a chair while the other was a portly man in a pre-War three-piece suit that was surprisingly clean. The merc set the chair down and stood to the side as the shorter, wider man lowered himself into it.

"Bring him here, Lane." The man ordered the big merc with a beard that would have done Sheriff Simms proud.

Wolf noted that Lane had a power fist on his left hand and it was coated in dried blood. He sauntered over to Gob, who he bettered in height by a head, and placed his meaty right hand on the ghoul's shoulder.

"The boss wants you." Lane said in the stereotypical deep voice of the hired muscle.

Gob let himself be led to stand a few feet in front of 'The Boss'. None of the mercenaries had their weapons trained on Gob, despite the fact that he was better armed than most of them, and Wolf assumed it was because his reputation as an easy mark was well-known among Moriarty's former business partners.

"Name's Mahoney, zombie." Mahoney said as he lit a cigarette with a pre-War lighter. He took a contemplative puff and sighed. "And you've been causing me a wee bit o' consternation, ya see. I hear tell that you're in with Simms better than 'Arty ever could dreamed but you won't play ball. I'm not asking you to sell the shit. Just let us pack it in with your supply of booze and you hand it off to our couriers. You get a ten percent cut o' the profits and that ain't no chump change. So, tell me, why'd you tell my boy to go fuck himself when he made the first offer."

"Unless you want ta find a new leader for your muscle, I suggest you tell 'em ta get that hand off my shoulder." Mahoney gestured and Lane released Gob with a bit of a push. "I told 'em to go fuck himself 'cause I know you supply those fucking slavers and Raiders and you get paid in flesh sometimes. I've seen some of the girls Moriarty's brought into tha Common House and I've seen 'em disappear just as fast. I'll buy your booze and I won't say nothin' to Simms. I ain't a rat. But I ain't gonna be a party to that shit."

Mahoney sighed and shook his head. "You know, I thought you'd be smarter than that, zombie. I guess 'Arty just couldn't beat no sense into that fucking rotten brain of yours. Lane, show this little shit the folly of not playing ball."

"I'm gonna enjoy this. Ain't had a ghoul yet." Lane said and slapped a hand down onto Gob's shoulder.

It happened so fast that Wolf would later swear the two ghouls had some kind of psychic connection. Gob drew his machete-sword from its sheathe as he ducked beneath Lane's arm. The ghoul performed some kind of twisting maneuver that sent Lane's body careening through the air towards the assault rifle wielding man on the right while his head popped straight up. There was a harsh crack in the air just as Lane's body left the ground and the flamer-wielding merc slumped to the side as though his strings had been cut. Unfortunately for the man on his left, he triggered a brief burst from his weapon that utterly engulfed his fellow mercenary. The human torch ran screaming towards the river but Wolf knew he would never make it.

Wolf drew her sidearm, unwilling to risk hitting Gob with wild sprays of her submachinegun, and went to one knee. Rachel did the same to her right. Venus' rifle cracked again and again as Wolf aimed at a panicking mercenaries chest and pulled the trigger twice. He was blown off his feet and began trying to scream through the blood filling his lungs. Rachel's assault rifle fired in several quick bursts and then she flopped onto her back. The air was too full of shouts and gunshots but Wolf knew she had been hit. She identified the culprit and was already bringing her sidearm to bear as their former prisoner began to turn to her. Wolf fired into his lower abdomen, not wanting to waste the time to place that first round higher on his torso, and walked several subsequent shots up his body. The final one hit him in the neck as his legs finally gave out on him.

Wolf scrambled over to Rachel's body on her hands and knees as Gob shot the last mercenary standing with his 10mm pistol. She frantically checked Rachel's body for blood or a visible entry would and could find only a single hole in the center of her chest. She reached in and breathed a sigh of relief as she felt the flattened bullet that Rachel's heavy body armor had stopped.

"Shit. I think I broke my back falling like that." Rachel groaned. "Good thing Lane was cheap and used black powder for their bullets." At Wolf's blank look, Rachel grinned and gestured to the massive amounts of gunsmoke being slowly broken apart by a lackluster breeze. "Lower penetration power, they leave a bunch of smoke, and they'll gum your barrel up after awhile. Wow. Look at that."

Wolf turned at Rachel's nod and her eyes widened at the site of Gob holding Mahoney up by his neck with a single hand. Gob was usually so affable and nonthreatening that it was easy to forget he was easily three times as strong as a human of similar size and build.

"What? You're gonna kill me?" Mahoney sneered. "You don't have the fucking balls, you fucking zombie!"

Gob cocked his head to the side, placed the barrel of his 10mm against Mahoney's sternum, and pulled the trigger three times. Mahoney slumped in Gob's grip and the ghoul simply tossed him aside. Wolf helped Rachel to her feet as Venus came jogging up with her sniper rifle at a ready position. She stopped and let out a low whistle at the carnage the four of them had wrought.

"Dibs on the flamer." Venus called out.

"Fuck that! You got the mini-gun!" Rachel argued, getting right up into the ghoul's face.

"Hey! Who shot that fucker before he could fry your stupid ass? Yeah, that's right, it was me!"

"I was the fucking bait! That's called hazard pay, dumbass!"

"Fine. We'll Rock-Paper-Scissors for it."

"What the fuck is that?"

Gob and Wolf's unrestrained laughter temporarily broke the back-and-forth as both turned with the same question.

"What's so fucking funny?"


	14. XIV

Lee slowed down to a walk as he finished his laps for the morning run. He placed his hands on his hips and tried to ignore the pain in his side as he took deep, controlled breaths. Evelyn was a couple of laps behind him and probably irritated that he had left her behind. In his mind, it had been the right thing to do. Watching her ass move as they ran around the perimeter of Megaton usually resulted in frantic sex right on the floor, or wall, next to the front door. Wolf and Rachel were supposed to be back with Gob today; no matter how good it was, sex in the morning was not something he was willing to risk.

_Damnit. I knew this was a bad idea. Fuck, it was good while it lasted though._ Lee tried to distract himself with some of the stretches that Nathan had shown them.

The images in his brain were almost gone when Evie slowed from her jog directly in front of him. She put her hands on her hips, chest expanding with her deep breaths, and her mouth was slightly open as she glared at him. That immediately set off images and, of all things, phantom sensations of the things she had done to him with that plump bottom lip. Lee closed his eyes and tried to will away his raging hard-on.

"What's the big idea, Lee? Without you around, Jericho was cat-calling me from one of his peep-hole windows! Does that bastard ever sleep?" Lee had noticed that Evelyn had been cursing more the closer they got to the rest of their quad's return.

_Yeah, she's probably really bitter about having to stop._

Evie joined him in his stretches on the landing. It was a quiet morning, as they usually were, and the quad "cooled-down" outside. Lee still found the term funny for the stretches they did after exercise. The Wanderer had said it was important to prevent injuries and the man _was_ a brilliant doctor according to everyone he had ever talked to. Lee gave Evie an encouraging smile when they finished and held the door open for her.

The diminutive woman was on him before he had even cycled the lock in place. She pressed herself against him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Lee had been pulled into a heated kiss before he even knew what had happened. He quickly pulled back and pushed her hands down.

"I thought we agreed to stop, bonita." Lee reminded her in a hoarse whisper.

Evie's lips pursed and she growled before tugging herself free of his grasp. "Yeah, I know we did. I just thought we could do it one more time before they got back. It's still early."

"They probably started out after midnight, if I know Wolf. They could be here any minute if they didn't run into trouble."

Evelyn turned and slammed her palms into the table they had set up earlier for breakfast. "I just wanted to get fucked one last fucking time. Fuck!"

Evelyn jumped when Lee forcefully pressed himself against her ass and slapped his own palms on either side of hers. She shivered as he whispered, "I love it when you talk dirty, bonita."

* * *

Lee, Ollie, and Nova were playing a game of Texas Hold 'Em when Gob walked through the doors with a huge bag of gear thrown over one shoulder. He was covered in the ever present dust of the Capital Waste but otherwise looked the same as he had when they had last seen him.

"Shit! Is this what I'm payin' ya lazy shits ta do?" Gob bellowed with a goofy grin. He quickly dropped his huge pack beside the bar.

"Good to see ya back, Gob!" Ollie shot out of his seat and slapped Gob on the shoulder only to immediately cough at the cloud of dust he raised.

Lee rose and shook Gob's hand with a nod, "Gob. Glad you made it back. Any trouble?"

Gob shrugged, "A little bit but nothing your girls couldn' get me through. I wouldn' wanna be on their shitlist. Tha's for sure. Ya can go meet them at your place if you want."

"I'm still on the clock, right?" Lee grinned and Gob returned it with a tiny shrug.

"Yeah, about that... I, uh, hired somebody ta do it... permanent."

"Really?" Nova asked irritably from her place by the table and lit up a cigarette. She looked like she had been in the process of coming over to greet Gob when his announcement had stopped her dead in her tracks. "Maybe you could have talked to me about it first, Gob? You know, since I'm the co-owner and everything?"

Gob came over to Nova and placed his hands on the sides of her shoulders. "Hey, we agreed we needed somebody and Venus is good. I had to get her while I had the chance?"

"Venus?" Nova's mouth twisted up in distaste. "Gob, I don't want no stupid whore merc in here stinkin' up the place!"

Gob winced. "Nova, don' call her a wh-"

The doors swung open wide again and a huge shadow filled the room. Lee turned and saw a massive, hunchbacked outline in the bright light streaming in through the doorway. Several quick strides and the figure was revealed to not be quite so massive.

_Still tall though._ Lee thought as he studied the newcomer.

This Venus was obviously a ghoul in some weird stage of going from human to ghoul. Lee had seen it before but never one that looked quite like her. The gray skin was definitely something new.

"Shit, Gob. Why the fuck did we let that bitch have that flamer! She's not even gonna use it! She told Wolf that she was going right to Moira's to hock it for some serious caps. That fuckin' cunt looked me right in the eye, too. She was just rubbin' it in!"

"Calm down, Venus. Shit." Gob laughed and clapped the taller ghoul on the shoulderpad. "I think we all came away pretty good on this run. She already had 'er missile launcher, so that really doesn't count."

_Rachel's got a missile launcher?_ Lee hoped that his face didn't display his unease at the thought.

"Yeah, yeah." Venus rubbed her right shoulder and grimaced. "I probably shouldn't be carrying so much shit anyway. I think I fucked my shoulder up climbing to that snipin' position."

"You gonna introduce us, Gob?" Nova drawled as she leaned against the far end of the bar.

"Oh, yeah. Everyone, this is Venus-"

The ghoul female looked at Leslie and nodded. "Lee, Ollie, Nova." Gob laughed and grinned at Nova despite the glare the redhead was giving him. Venus shrugged and took a seat at the bar. "I know who you two are 'cause Gob gave me all the particulars of this job before I took it. I know who you are, Lee, because your bitchy teammate kept going on about how much better you were than me. 'Oh, Lee can sneak better than you.' 'Shit, Lee's a better shot than you.' 'Lee's faster than you.' Blah, blah, blah. Bitch would just not shut the fuck up."

Lee chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds like her."

_I just sounded like I miss that crazy bitch, didn't I?_

"So, kid, _are_ you faster?"

Venus had drawn her gun and was bringing it up even as she twisted in her chair to sight on Lee. She was brought up short when he settled a hand lightly on her elbow to stop the motion of her gunhand and placed the point of a throwing knife beneath her left jawbone.

"Fast enough." He informed her without emotion before releasing her and returning to his former position.

"Shit. Now I owe that bitch five caps." Venus grumbled and holstered her laser pistol.

_Just who is this ghoul?_ Lee pondered as he went to clean up the game of Hold 'Em. _That .308 and laser pistol she's carrying are pretty high-end gear for someone willing to settle for a weak-cap job like being a bouncer. Maybe Gob and Nova are paying her more for something else? Oh well. Not my problem._

"Hey, Lee. Come back in an hour and I'll have all the money I owe you guys." Gob told him when he noticed that Lee was preparing to leave.

"Alright, Gob. I'll be back then and get that punching bag out of here. Glad you made it back safe. I'll see you later, Ollie, Nova. Nice meetin' you, Venus."

"Don't be a stranger, Lee!" Ollie gave him an enthusiastic one-armed hug while Nova just grunted as she had yet to take her eyes off of Gob and Venus as they chattered away.

"Nice to meet ya, kid." Venus interrupted in the middle of recounting a shot she had made that supposedly saved Gob's life while he tried to tell her that she was full of shit.

Lee stepped out under the hot afternoon sun with a hand shading his eyes. His ghillie might not have been the coolest garment but at least the hood offered up relief from the sunlight. Once his eyes adjusted, Lee set off down the ramps that offered a more direct route home. Despite being disappointed that he and Evie couldn't continue their activities, he was looking forward to seeing Rachel and Wolf.

"Hey, Lee!" A vaguely familiar voice called to him from The Brass Lantern as he made his way through the town's center.

Lee turned and saw Lucy West hopping off the bar-stool she had been perched on while talking to Jenny Stahl. The Stahl woman, pale and perpetually nervous, waved shyly to him before disappearing into the interior of the bar. There was something odd about her and her brothers but Lee hadn't quite placed his finger on it beyond Leo Stahl's jet addiction. Lucy West was another odd one. She was a pretty young woman; her fragile beauty and passionate brown eyes always drew stares when she came into The 'Stopper for hard liquor. She seemed pleasant enough and everyone liked her but Lee had absolutely no idea what she did for the town to justify owning an entire house. He knew she was from Arefu, he had been to the town suspended on a broken road a few times, and had moved to Megaton to see a real city. Jericho had told him that she managed the shitty crops they wrung out of the ground but Nova had confided in him that she thought Lucy was cleaning old Simms' pipes for him and a few of his old Regulator buddies. Nova had been outraged because Lucy always seemed to turn her nose up at the whore despite being a private whore herself. Lee thought it made sense and he didn't blame either party. Simms probably didn't want to take the chance of getting some disease the Doc couldn't cure and Lucy had simply used her most basic resource to survive.

_Same old story, everywhere I go._

Lucy finally reached him and gave him a nervous smile. "Hey, Lee. How're you doing?"

"Good. Just goin' to see my people."

"I heard that Gob and the others got back safe. I'm glad." She bit her lip when he nodded in response. "Uhm, Lee. Can I ask you guys for a favor?"

"Go ahead but, if it's about a job, I can't say yes or no until I run it by Wolf."

"Oh, I know. I can pay a little bit. Maybe I can get Simms to let you take some ammo from the armory?" Lucy shifted nervously as he fixed her with an intense gaze. "I just haven't heard from my parents in Arefu in a few months. They usually send me a letter whenever WolfGang makes it out there. The last time I saw him, he said that something weird was going on and the only person he saw the entire time he was there was the mayor. I was wondering if you guys would go there and see what's going on and deliver a letter for me? I know it's a long way but they say you guys'll go all over."

Lee nodded and placed a hand on Lucy's left shoulder. "It'll be okay, Lucy. I'll bring it up and I don't see any reason Wolf'll turn it down. If I know Wolf, we'll probably leave in a day or two. I'll come find you later and tell you what she said, si?"

"Yeah, I see what you're sayin'." Lucy took a deep breath and nodded. "Thank you, Lee. It really means a lot to me."

Her smile when she walked away from him was definitely warmer and less unsure than before.

_Nice ass_. Lee found himself thinking and shook his head ruefully before resuming his march home.

Thoughts like those had occurred infrequently before he and Evelyn began their short affair. Now he found himself dwelling on the shapes of the women he encountered without even thinking about it. Thankfully, Lee had long ago learned how to observe details without being obvious about it. The sounds of wild laughter washed over him as he climbed the final ramp and a grin spread across his face. A foul stench arising from a canvas bag on the side of the house erased that merry expression but he ignored it and opened the door.

Lee joined in the laughter as the first sight he saw upon entering the house was Rachel wearing her combat armor's upper section but nothing at all below the waist. He could only assume she was still wearing underwear. Evelyn, through the tears in her eyes, waved for him to take a seat at the table while Wolf pounded the top in mirth. Rachel, for her part, grunted gruffly at him as she sat with her arms crossed in her best 'I am not amused' pose.

"So, there we are standing in the middle of all these fucking bodies and Rach wins the game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. She starts dancin' and hoppin' all over the place. Makin' a spectacle of herself, like usual. Then she trips over one of the bodies and falls ass first in a _huge_ pile of dogshit! Oh, man. She was so pissed off! Look! She's been looking like that ever since it happened!"

Evelyn cackled and stuck her tongue out at the disgruntled Ranger. "It looks like you can't call me the uncoordinated one now, Rach."

"Fuck you, Money!" Rachel shouted and that set off another round of laughter from her quadmates.

"Go eat shit, Moon. It shouldn't be hard to find!" Evelyn cackled and slapped her palm on the table for emphasis.

"Moon?" Rachel's face crinkled in puzzlement.

"Because that's what your pale ass looks like right now!" Evie was definitely on a roll.

"She does have a point." Wolf chimed in with a wide smile.

"Fuck you too... SongBird!" Rachel looked positively triumphant when Wolf spluttered. Evie and Lee both chuckled and shot questioning glances at Rachel. "She sings like a fuckin' angel. Yeah, I heard her. It's sooooooo sweet. Kinda defeats her hardass image, doesn't it? What was that one song you sang? Something about lovin' whiskey better than a man or something?"

For a second, Wolf had looked like Rachel had betrayed her darkest secret but her face lightened at the final question. "It's 'I'd Rather Have A Half-Drunk Bottle Than A Half-Drunk Man'!"

"Exactly. Fuckin' SongBird!" Rachel snorted and finally took a seat at the table.

"Aren't you gonna put some pants on, piernas?" Lee asked, working his jaw because his cheeks were starting to hurt from the stupid grin he had on his face.

In answer, Rachel began undoing her upper body armor with a smirk. She dropped her armor on the floor beside her with a sigh.

"Rach, you know you're just going to have to pick that up, right?" Wolf frowned at her subordinate.

To Lee's surprise, Rachel licked her bottom lip before seeming to come back to herself and blushing a light pink. "Oh, yeah. Sorry. I forgot."

"It's okay. Lee and I can clean up after you guys. You _are_ the ones that brought back a missile launcher, flamer, and a bunch of ammo! It's the least we can do." Evie exclaimed and Lee nodded in agreement.

"It's good to be back." Wolf reached over and grabbed Evie in a headlock as she furiously rubbed the smaller woman's head.

Rachel and Lee looked at each other for a moment before grasping each others hands in a position as though they were air arm-wrestling.

"Glad you made it back, Rach." Lee said and returned Rachel's huge grin.

"Someone has to keep you guys out of trouble."

Lee could only bark laughter as a comeback.

_Maybe things won't be so different after all._

* * *

True to Lee's prediction, Wolf had agreed to Lucy's request and only two days after Wolf and Rachel had returned, Echo Quad found itself preparing in the cool darkness of pre-dawn. Something about the act of preparing for a journey always settled whatever nerves Lee might have had about it. Their armor remained the same as it had always been but each of the Rangers was expected to carry enough water to keep them alive for a minimum of two days with proper rationing. Everyone also carried as much spare ammunition as they could since they had no idea how long they'd be in the field and there were no convenient places to resupply out there. Lee had already prepared his pack, wore his armor, and now sat at the table sharpening his hunting knife while he watched the others.

Rachel stood near the stairs as she practiced punching with her Power Fist-covered hand. The hiss of the hydraulics echoed through the quiet house as she jabbed. The quad had placed their weapons on the table in order to grab them quickly when it was time to go and Rachel's missile launcher dominated the selection. She was adamant on bringing the huge weapon and Wolf had finally relented even though she doubted they would encounter anything armored enough to justify its use.

Wolf sat inside her tiny infirmary space mumbling to herself as she reorganized her backpack and kit for what had to be the tenth time. The women could really obsess when she put her mind to it. Her helmet, bobbing up and down in time with her mumbling, caused a small smile to form on Lee's lips.

Evie stood at her workstation as she feverishly worked to complete a project she had started shortly before Wolf and Rachel had left. It was supposed to be some kind of kickass rifle but it was assembled from pure junk as far as Lee could tell. She had also brought along a huge roll of leather that had holders for railroad spikes, of all things.

Finally, Wolf emerged from her den and stretched her arms into the air with a yawn. "Alright, Rangers. You guys ready to roll?"

"Always." Lee replied calmly as he stood and sheathed his blade.

"Yeah, I'm ready." Evie said as she slid the shitty-looking contraption into the left sidestrap of her backpack.

"Let's hit it." Rachel clipped the Power Fist to the small of her back and walked to the table.

Lee's .44 Telly was already in its holster. The only things of his that were on the table were his ammo vest, that Evie had somehow scrounged up for each of them from Moira's seemingly infinite supply of crap, pack, and Leroy's parting gift. That present was a modified .308 sniper rifle; one of the long-barreled monstrosities that Lee had never been able to afford, steal, or "acquire" one that was in working order. This one was definitely special and Lee had the sneaking suspicion that Leroy had it repaired just for him. It fired at least half again as fast as a normal sniper rifle but only had a three-round magazine. Its scope had a magnification of 10X and it seemed to _want_ to hit whatever target Lee had in mind for it. He had fallen in love with the very first shot he fired.

Wolf holstered her 10mm and SMG before sliding on her pack. A noticeable addition was the short-barreled pump-action with the rounded stock that she had in her backpack's right sidestrap. Apparently, she liked Gob's shotgun so much, she had Evie make her one. She and Evie would have looked nearly identical except for their packs and belt pouches indicating their respective jobs in the quad.

Rachel's shotgun had gone to Wolf but the tall Ranger seemed not to miss the loss. Her pack went on first and she looked a little odd framed between the two halves of her missile launcher. The only new addition to her arms was a sawed-off in a peculiar swivel-holster that Evie had also rigged up for her. Lee had been impressed how quickly she could swing it up and, at the range she would probably use it, aiming wouldn't even matter.

Once the table was clear, Lee and Rachel packed it up while Evie gave some last minute instructions to Wadsworth. Their exit from the town was quiet and the only person that watched them was Stockholm. The strange guy didn't even wave. He just tracked them with his own sniper rifle as they walked towards Springvale.

Lee led the way towards the nearby town of Springvale down a barely discernible dirty path through the rolling countryside. Wolf intended to make as many new entries of mapper data as she possibly could on the way to Arefu. There were a number of Raider hideouts, small enclaves of Wasters, and semi-abandoned towns that Lee knew they could easily visit on their way there; starting with Springvale. They would have to step lightly to avoid getting into a firefight with the resident raider gang, if they were even still together after Simm's blew the leader's head off, but Lee thought they would have no trouble. All three of his quadmates already moved with a great deal more stealth than they had when they had first arrived at Megaton.

Echo quad emerged onto a broken down road and Lee turned left. There was some kind of weird-shaped structure on the left that Lee had never been able to figure out the use for. He made a mental note to ask Evelyn what it was for as his eyes carefully scanned the way for signs of an ambush. The sun was just now rising over the horizon, bathing the land in beautiful colors, and Lee also began planning where they would spend the hottest hours of the day hiding from the intense heat.

The scout led his quad down the street and past the intersection that turned right. It would lead them to Springvale and towards the elementary. There were burned-out skeletons of buildings on their left and then on their right after the intersection. Lee went through the houses instead of following the streets. They offered more cover and a chance to conceal yourself if you needed it. He had seen too many lone Wasters get captured simply because they seemed to think walking down the middle of a road with absolutely zero cover was a smart thing to do. Lee reached the last house and spotted a ranch home across a bare stretch of dirt that would offer perfect cover to scale the embankment and do a quick survey of the school. He gestured for the quad to come up for the sprint across the space. Before he could say a word, several shots from what sounded like a 10mm echoed through the air.

"Definitely a ten-millimeter, Lee." Rachel whispered as though she read his mind.

A woman's high, piercing scream cut through the air and Lee winced in sympathy.

"Move it!" Wolf shouted, surprising them all by lurching into a run towards the ranch house. "Lee, get up there and see what the fuck is going on! Money, see if we can get into that house! Rach, take the near wall, I'll take the far!" Lee was surprised at how clear and precise Wolf spat orders even while at a run.

Lee snatched his sniper rifle off his shoulder and bounded up the side of the hill in less than ten strides. He quickly spotted a suitable flat-space and threw himself on his belly. Calmly setting the tiny stand on the barrel of his gun up, Lee tried not to let the increasingly frequent screams of the woman get to him as they came closer. He magnified on the street directly in front of the school and carefully moved his view from right to left.

"What do you see?" Wolf shouted up to him.

"Nothing!" Lee replied but then he saw a woman in a dingy skirt stumbling around the wall that led to the open-air rear of the school. "I see a woman! One! She's the one firing the gun!" As he said it, the silver-haired woman fired blindly behind her as she lurched into a run. "I can't see what she's— fuck!" Six giant ants, soldiers by the look of their armor, scuttled around the corner after the woman. "Ants! Six soldiers! They're on her! Too close! They should have caught her! They're playing with her!" Lee had seen it before a few times but they had been raiders and he hadn't given a shit.

"Goddamnit." Lee couldn't restrain a grin as he could almost feel the gears in Wolf's head turning. "Lee, I want you to start poppin' 'em as soon as you get a shot when they come up the road. Money! You got that door open?"

"Yeah! Looks good. It's sturdy!"

"Good. Get the back door. Lee, when we're in, you get in as quick as you fucking can. Rach! With me!" Wolf ran down the road towards the charging ants and Lee had to admire her bravery.

_She really does pay attention to anything anyone ever tells her. She knows ants can easily outpace a man in a sprint. We'll never make it back to Megaton before they're all over us. And we're definitely sitting on top of a hive if there are soldier-ants here. We kill them, there'll probably be a shit-ton more on the way._

Lee took deep, controlled breaths as he kept his sights on the sobbing woman as she ran erratically down the road. He guessed her gun had run out of ammo because she had actually thrown it at the lead ant who had caught it and chewed it to pieces. Now she was just running on pure animal instinct and the ants were taking their time.

_Who says bugs are dumb!_ Lee thought angrily as Rachel slid behind the cover of a fence on the right side of the street while Wolf crouched behind a house on the left a little closer to the intersection.

Lee tried not to react as the woman turned the corner, arms pumping wildly as she ran, and the lead ant slowly closed the distance. The fucking thing was directly behind the woman though. There was no way Lee was making the shot. Anything less than a kill would probably result in the woman dying. He needed a shot right down the mid-line.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon." Lee whispered and then it happened.

The lead ant almost casually swiped a serrated front limb at the woman's hamstring. She howled in a combination of hysterical fright and pain as she fell as though her strings had literally been cut. The ant reared up over her, its huge eyes glittering in the early morning light, and Lee fired a round directly into the left orb. That single round bored a transverse path through the ant's primary nerve cluster and essentially cut _its_ strings. The ant flopped onto its belly and the ant's pincers came precariously close to spearing the woman's neck. Lee didn't have time to think about that and opened fire on the next ant. This time it took two shots and his magazine was dry. He reloaded as quickly as he could as Rachel opened up with her assault rifle.

_One dry, two full, one in the well. _He chanted to himself as he sighted once again on the battlefield.

Wolf was dragging the woman by the scruff of her dress back towards Rachel. There were two ants left now and they both were charging full speed at his quadmates. Lee fired once, twice, and a third time to put the final ant out of commission. He reloaded his rifle and watched as Rachel hoisted the woman over one shoulder and started hustling back to the ranch. It was only then that he noticed Rachel had discarded her missile launcher laden pack, presumably in the house, and Wolf had done likewise.

_They're definitely good._ Lee thought with a smirk that disappeared as the front doors of the school burst open to spill out a dozen soldier-ants that were hurtling themselves full speed towards his quad.

"Move your asses!" He shouted, as he began firing again.

Lee ran dry, reloaded, and emptied that magazine in the time it took for his quad to reach the ranch. There were even more soldier-ants emerging from the school now. He stood as Evie threw the backdoor open.

"Get inside!" She shouted as she waved furiously at him.

Lee descended the hill by leaping off onto the overhang in the back and rolling to the ground. He managed to land in a crouch and dove through the doorway. Evie shoved the door closed, slammed the bolt home and immediately began nailing extra boards in place across the frame. Without a word, Lee began to assist her in fortifying the backdoor. A heavy banging sound started to come from the front door and that could only be one thing.

"How the fuck are we gonna get out of this, Wolf?" Rachel shouted over the noise as she shoved the refrigerator towards the front door.

"We wait until noon. Those fuckers aren't going to want to be baking out there anymore than we are. Especially trying to break in here. Out of sight, out of mind. We'll stroll right out of here in a few hours. Just you watch. Money! I need you in here to get this stove working. I need to boil some water if we want this woman to make it."

"Gotcha!" Evie said and handed Lee the hammer and huge nails she had found somewhere in the house.

Rachel laughed from her position at the front door, "Not even a fucking mile away and we're knee-deep in the shit. I love being a fucking Ranger!"

The statement was so joyfully shouted that Lee couldn't help but join in the laughter.


	15. XV

Lee sat on the floor in the tiny space where the backdoor was and listened to the soft whistle of the wind. The ants had hacked and gnawed at the walls and doors for a long time. One persistent bug had managed to chew a hole in the wall near the front door but a shotgun blast, courtesy of Rachel, had blown off its antennae and discouraged that path. There had been a frantic struggle outside that was easy to hear because all of the ants had stopped attacking then. Rachel had soon told them that the ants were dragging the carcasses of their dead back to the school.

_It happened even faster than she said it would._ Lee chuckled as he reloaded his spent rifle magazines. _Once these mags are full, I'll have twenty more spare rounds in my kit. Shit. At least .32 ammo is easy to come by. Shit. I'll have to wait until Wolfgang comes around again before I can restock. Or maybe I'll magically come across a shitload of .308 ammo out here._

Lee snorted in amusement just as Evelyn came to squat in front of him with her funny-looking gun, what she called a railway rifle, cradled in her hands. She had enthusiastically used it during the siege and the noise had been atrocious. It had sounded similar to the cobbled together railcars that Lee and his family had used during their journey north. He couldn't deny the effectiveness of the weapon though. Lee had seen a railroad spike completely penetrate across an ant's abdomen before the second shot pinned it's massive head to the ground. The Ranger could only imagine what it would do to a human.

"Wolf says we're probably going to move out soon. The woman is stable and conscious but she's gonna need to be carried on a stretcher I managed to put together. She wants me and her on it while you and Rachel watch our asses."

"Okay." Lee finished his last mag, put it in its slot on his ammo vest, and cradled his rifle in his lap as he studied the petite woman. "How are you doing?"

Evie grinned tightly at him and shrugged, "Better than I thought. Though, I did think I was gonna puke when she was scrubbing Silver, the woman's, gash. And she just used a sponge, some water and whatever kind of powder she's got in her kit. It was like she was just washing her clothes or something!"

Lee chuckled, "Yeah. It can make you wanna puke. Watching someone get worked on. Especially if they're awake. Why do you think I came back here?"

Evie grinned and nodded at his little lie. In reality, he had long ago made peace with the knowledge that every animal was a collection of muscle and bone. People, as full of themselves as they tended to be, were still just animals; it had stopped bothering him when he had that epiphany when he was twelve. She didn't need to know that though and it obviously made her feel better about her own squeamishness.

"Megaton!" An unfamiliar voice suddenly croaked into the relative quiet of the house.

"Yes. That's where we live. Is there a problem?" Wolf asked.

"Moriarty's looking for me. I ain't goin' back."

"Three things you should know before you make that decision," Wolf's voice took on the tone she used when she was in leader-mode. "One, your wound still might get infected without proper medical care. Two, I doubt you'd last even one night when those ants come out to scavenge for food. Three, Moriarty's gone. Gob runs the place now."

There was a moment of silence before the woman barked as well as she could, "Why the fuck didn't you say the last one first?"

"The boss likes to be dramatic sometimes." Rachel answered the question with a short laugh from her post by the front door.

"Is he really gone?" The woman asked in a small, timid voice.

Rachel chuckled darkly, "Yeah. As gone as you can get."

"Good."

"Did she just faint?" Rachel asked incredulously.

"She's a drug addict. I found empty vials and packets of Psycho, Jet, and Med-X all over the place. I have no idea where she even got it all and how she managed not to kill herself if she was rollin'."

"Rollin'?" Rach questioned and Lee was glad that he hadn't had to ask.

"It's what we call it back home when someone takes stuff that takes you up and, just before the high ends, you take something that takes you way down. Then, when you're starting to come off that, you take something that gets you back up." Wolf's voice lowered to a near-whisper. "Once people start doing that... well, they usually don't last long 'cause of drug interaction."

"Oh." Lee turned and watched as Rachel patted Wolf on the shoulder. "Should we get going?"

The distraction seemed to pull Wolf out of whatever memory she was in because the quad leader shook herself and nodded at Rachel.

"Lee, Money, you ready?" Wolf called back to them.

"Good to go." Lee replied, standing and helping Evie to her feet.

Silver was strapped to the stretcher made from the remnants of the ancient cot they had found in the house. Rachel was keeping a watchful eye through the huge hole that ant had busted in the wall with Wolf's shotgun in hand. The quad leader was performing a few last minute checks on the woman and the small packages on either side of her.

"What's with the stuff, boss?" Lee asked curiously as Rachel returned Wolf's shotgun.

"She's gonna need something to pay Doc Church. It's caps and stuff she can sell off for treatment." Wolf shrugged. "We do what we can but I'm not going to break the bank giving her all our med supplies."

"Fuckin' scavs!" Rachel hissed from her post and Lee was there in seconds.

Rachel handed him the compact binoculars that Wolf had demanded they make part of their standard gear. Lee gazed through them and immediately saw the darting, filthy, ragged figures making their way through the town. They were definitely heading in their direction as they followed the trails of ant blood. He could hear angry shouting at the lack of dead bodies and supplies they could scavenge.

"I counted ten," Rachel said and cursed at Lee's nod.

"We can take that many if they're not armed, right?" Evie asked.

"Waster scavs are different than raiders, Money." Wolf sounded disgusted. "They're even more likely to be cannibals, travel in bigger groups, and are definitely crazier. They're better the closer you get to cities, more shit to take so they're not so desperate, but out in the open... they're much, much worse. Just our luck this band was close enough to hear the firefight. They probably sent a group into the school and we'll have ants on our ass again soon."

"Time to go, boss?" Lee asked as he handed Rachel back her binoculars.

"Fuck yeah. Out the back. Quick."

Lee, Rachel, and Evie made quick work of the barricaded back door.

"I'll go first." Lee told Rachel when Evie went back to help Wolf with the stretcher. "You hear any shots, you get them back in. Otherwise, watch me and I'll wave you up."

"Let's do it." Rachel nodded, her expression all business.

Lee threw the hood of his ghillie over his head and stepped out under the boiling afternoon sun. Sweat immediately started rolling off of his body but he ignored it as best he could. He moved as he had been taught by both humans and hard-won experience in the Waste. No wasted motion; as smooth and quiet as a cat. The street was clear and there was no movement in the house across from them. He sprinted across to the cover of a crumbling wall and waited until all he could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat. Rachel's face appeared out of the doorway to Silver's house and he waved an arm towards her. Evie and Wolf looked odd carrying the stretcher between them but they managed to set a surprisingly fast pace as they came to him.

"We're gonna take the long way around to Megaton." He began when they all reached him. The thought had just come to him and he went with the rightness of it. "If I was them, I would set up an ambush right at the edge of town on the direct path to Megaton. Anybody injured or another group of scavs from Megaton would have to take it. With luck, there'll only be a sentry or two on that side of town. We're going to stick to the houses as much as we can. You get under cover and I'll wave you up when I've cleared it. Okay?" He looked to Wolf for approval and got it in a single nod.

Echo made good time skulking through the town. Lee's heart was in his throat the few times they had to sprint down relatively open stretches but this section was still surprisingly devoid of scavengers and Lee was grateful for that. Evie and Wolf, while strong for their size, were panting by the time they reached the edge of town where Lee felt it reasonable for them to turn back to Megaton. It was while they were hunkered down in a small, barely there shack that he noticed the tell-tale signs of cigarette smoke wafting up from the cover of a low stone wall around the almost fully intact house across the street. He turned back to his group and motioned for them to hide themselves as he settled his ghillie around him. Lee wormed his way forward until he was just another shadowed lump in the corner of a partially collapsed wall. Unfortunately for the ambushers, he was close enough to hear a wheezing cough.

"Jesus, Dylon! Ya stupid sonofabitch! Why tha fuck are ya smokin'!" An annoyed whisper came from the smoker's left. "We _are_ supposed ta be keepin' watch, ya know?"

"Fuck that shit, man! Jerry's completely gonzo if he thinks there're any fish left to bird-dog in this shitter! Ever since Bop was dumb enough ta get his fuckin' head ventamilated, those fuckers been holed up in the school. Won't even trade anymore so I say... fuck 'em. I hope some of them there Regamilators came and dusted them nice and nasty-like. Maybe that one chick is still alive though. You remember that one with the big ass! Mmmmph! I don't even know what I'd do! Fuck it or eat it! It's gotta be full of muscle or fat for it to be that big!" Dylon spoke with a wheeze and the same kind of smoker's throat that Jericho had all the time.

"You know Jerry's policy. Fuck, then eat. You know what he says, 'Everybody gets ta have a bit of fun before the bodies get 'et.' Where the fuck's he from, anyway? I ain't never heard anybody say 'et' for 'ate' before." The unnamed speaker's casual attitude about cannibalism raised Lee's hackles.

"How the fuck would I know? I know he ain't from around here. Nobody with that scarred up face and carryin' around a fuckin' super mutant skull wouldn' have a rep as long as my cock if he was local. I just know he showed up one night, bit old Buzz' nose off, and shoved a stick up that fucker's ass to finish the job. Nobody asked a fucking thing after seeing that shit."

The sounds of gunfire shattered both the conversation and the relative peace of the afternoon.

"What the fuck was that?" Dylon asked irritably and both figures rose into Lee's view.

_Goddamnit. If I had had time to set up my rifle... Shit. Hopefully a couple shots from my Telly won't be noticed._

Dylon was dressed in barely there black leather armor that had painful looking spikes sticking out of it while his partner wore more traditional brahmin leather pants and an often-patched T-shirt. Lee eased his revolver out of its holster and quickly lined his shots up as the firefight near the school intensified.

_I've never seen scavs with enough firepower for a sustained fight before._ Lee thought absently as his body went through motions long familiar to him. _This Jerry might be a problem if he's getting these fuckers organized._

"Dylon!" A frantic voice stayed Lee's hand as a third figure ran past the rotted wooden fence he was partially concealed behind. "Jerry says he needs you two and the flamer at the school now! There's a shitload of giant ants! All kinds of meat!"

Lee watched as the third scavenger, who barely looked old enough to have hair on his balls, hopped up and down excitedly.

"Calm down, you shithead." Dylon grumbled and stuck his cigarette back in his mouth. With a grunt and muffled curse, he hauled the now revealed flamer over his back. "C'mon, Brucie. Let's get some grub!"

"Best thing I've heard all day."

_Me too._

* * *

"Greetings, Mister Tanner, Miss Fitch and Miss McAdams!" Wadsworth greeted the trio of Rangers as they piled into the house. "You are approximately eight days early from your estimated time of return. Did you forget something?"

"No, Waddy. We just ran into an entire colony of giant ants!" Evelyn chirped excitedly as she scampered over to her workbench and immediately started removing her gear. "I think I need to adjust the sights and maybe do some work on the recoil damping mechanism for the railway, Waddy. Project those schematics on the board, would you?"

"Yes, ma'am." The Mr. Handy hovered to a place just behind and over Evie's right shoulder to project a confusing jumble, at least to Lee's eyes, of writing on a square of some kind of cloth that Evie had procured for just this purpose.

"Thank you, Waddy."

"Well, shit." Rachel laughed and shook her head. "Money'll be at it until Wolf gets back and slaps her back down to fucking Earth." She turned to fix one dark eye on Lee as he put Wolf's pack down. "I'll start dinner if you get my gear, too."

"Sure, Piernas. I'll pack it back up for you when I'm done. You know Wolf's gonna want to leave in the morning." Lee took Rachel's heavy pack from her and sat it by the door as he set the table up.

Lee lost himself in the comforting routine that had become second-nature to him over the last few weeks. Evelyn muttered and swore under her breath as she fiddled with her hideous-looking rifle. Rachel was whipping up something delicious in the kitchen even though she sometimes had the nastiest -looking ingredients; the humming was new though. Lee worked on cleaning and making sure each of their weapons were loaded for the morning. He had quietly appropriated Evie's weapons and ammo vest. A quick dip into their ammo caches ensured that everyone, with the exception of his sniper rifle, would go out with full loads in the morning.

The scout-sniper was finishing a final examination of Evie's .32 when he realized that Wolf had still not returned from telling the doc about what she'd done to treat Silver. He was about to say something to Evelyn, who had taken a soldering iron to her railway rifle, when the door was unlocked and Wolf stepped in. His quad leader looked tired and immediately sat down at the table.

"Hey, Lee! Get all that shit off the table, dumbass! How the fuck are we supposed to eat this shit I cooked?" Rachel brayed from the kitchen while waving a stained slotted spoon around wildly.

"I'll help, Lee!" Evie chirped up from her workspace and hopped past him.

Lee couldn't help but notice how her arm brushed against his backside as she moved behind him. He tried not to think about it as he quickly cleared the table and stored their weapons in an ordered row in the weapons locker. Rachel's missile launcher usually rested on pegs she had placed above her bed for just that purpose but Lee wasn't lugging the thing up there for her. Meanwhile, Wolf had placed the jug of water and four clean glasses on the table.

"Did the Doc give you a rough time, Wolf?" Rachel asked as she brought over two large metal bowls and a plate.

"Not really. It was pretty cut and dry. Thank you," Wolf nodded to Rachel as the tall Ranger handed her a plate and silverware.

_Who would have thought that Rachel was good at this domestic stuff. No, she actually seems like she enjoys it if no one's around to bust her balls about it._

"Thanks, Piernas," Lee gave her a small smile as he accepted his plate, knife, and fork.

When Rachel returned his smile with a huge one of her own, Lee almost dropped it all along with his jaw. He managed to recover though and quickly spooned a huge portion of the white mush that passed for mashed potatoes from one bowl and green peas from the other. The plate was covered in some kind of meat with an odd brownish-orange sauce covering it. It smelled delicious but it kind of looked like vomit.

_Something good must have happened during their escort job for Gob. I'm gonna have to ask her about it. How to do it without her blowing up? That's the tricky part._

Wolf picked up her fork to begin eating, looked hesitant for a moment, lowered the fork, folded her hands together with the elbows on the table, and then bowed her head so that her forehead rested on her knuckles. Evie gave a little squeak of surprise and quickly imitated Wolf's posture. Lee glanced over at Rachel and she returned his look with a blank shrug. After several moments, during which Lee could see the mouths of both women moving silently, Wolf looked up and nodded as though she had kept a promise to herself. Lee dug into his food with gusto, once he was sure they were done, and was unsurprised to discover that it looked as good as it smelled.

"What took me so long," Wolf began after a few quick bites of the meat, "-was Gob and Nova bursting into the clinic. Somehow, they found out that Silver was back in town before we even managed to get her to the doc. She looked kinda panicked at first but she almost shit herself when she saw that Gob was packing heat and looked meaner than a nest of copperheads." Wolf chuckled at the mental image.

"Why're they so interested, Wolf?" Evie asked and Lee resisted the urge to lick the smear of sauce on her bottom lip off.

_Fuck._

"Beats me, Money." Wolf shrugged and took a long drink of water. She frowned at the taste and muttered. "Never get used to this shitty taste."

"I don't know. This water is some of the cleanest I've ever had." Rachel challenged Wolf's most reliable complaint about the Wasteland.

Wolf laughed, "It's not how clean it is. We get a lot of out water out of the ground where I'm from. It's got all kinds of minerals and stuff in it that gives it this... taste. It's just hard to describe."

"Yeah, yeah, Song." Rachel teased the quad leader with a grin. "And I bet there's bunches of food just layin' around and yao guai and brahmin lie together unnaturally.

Wolf grinned widely, "Don't forget all the men with massive cocks waiting in bed to please you all night long."

Rachel burst into peals of wild laughter while Evelyn and Lee just stared in disbelief at their quad leader. They had rarely heard Wolf curse but most people barely seemed to curse compared to Rachel. They had _never_ heard their quad leader engage in sexual banter with the palest Ranger before. She always seemed far too serious for that.

"Why'd it take you so long if they were that concerned about Silver, Song?" Evie asked after the laughter, as well as Evelyn and Lee's ability not to stare, died down.

"They were really interested in the scavs and what Lee heard about their leader. Real interested." Wolf sat back, her plate empty, and patted her stomach. "Alright, time to clean your armor and get ready to get some sleep. I want to leave just as early tomorrow. We've still got a lot to do."

Lee shared a grin with Rachel, "Told you."


	16. XVI

Morning came far too quickly for Leslie's liking. It seemed that he had only just settled into his mattress when Wolf began banging away on a pot she kept in her room for just that purpose.

"I want to move out in no more than thirty, people!" Wolf shouted in the open air of Lee, Evie's, and Rachel's sleeping area. "No time for showers! Sponge baths only! Move it!"

A low groan, muffled through Lee's canvas privacy sheet, came from Rachel's area. "Fuuuuuck..."

Lee took several deep breaths before holding the last one in as long as possible. Once he exhaled, his head felt a little more clear, and he was able to drag himself out of bed. He was in such a fog that he and Rachel actually bumped chests. Well, it was actually more like one of her breasts slapped him in the chin. Neither one of them commented as they shuffled their way into the shower.

_I'm getting soft._ Lee had enough mental power for that concerned thought. _I used to be able to wake up instantly. Maybe it's from feeling safe?_

Rachel handed him the detachable shower-head and a washbasin with a hard-looking sponge in it. Lee filled the basin up with cool water before handing it back to Rachel. The tall Ranger silently filled up a basin of her own and handed the shower-head off to a puffy-eyed Evelyn.

"You know what?" Rachel mumbled as Lee slapped a bar of soap across the wet sponge several times. "As much as I hate getting up early for training, I hate getting up early after going to bed late after shooting a bunch of fucking ants even worser."

Evelyn yawned as all three Rangers turned their backs to begin furiously scrubbing themselves. "Worser isn't a word."

"It's too early for a snooty bitch contest, Money!" Rachel shouted irritably and Evie chuckled quietly to herself but said nothing else.

By the time the quad was assembled and ready to go, only fifteen minutes after Wolf had awakened them, Lee's head was clear of the fog of sleep. Wolf nodded as she gave a cursory inspection of their gear, since she obviously trusted them to have their shit together at this point, and stopped in front of them.

"I want to do a quick recon of Springvale to see if that band of scavs might have taken up permanent. After that, we'll continue on to Big Town, points in-between, and then Arefu. Any questions?" None of them raised their hand and Wolf smiled at what she saw. "Good. Let's move it."

* * *

Lee and Rachel quietly crept back down the embankment that their quadmates were taking cover behind. They had left Evie and Wolf behind to scout out the perimeter of Springvale. Wolf's premonition had been accurate.

"I think Jerry's got big plans to turn his scavs into real Raiders, boss." Lee used a stick to draw a rough outline of Springvale and the important buildings in it. "They've got pairs of guards at every road leading in. That's ten guards that I saw plus six patrollin' the perimeter."

Rachel shook her head. "Jerry didn't give them a lot of time to celebrate. They managed to close off the back entrance to the school and fortify it. It's a bad chokepoint. I made out two flamers with converging fields of fire. At least two snipers on the upper levels. They're lazy though. I think they depend on the sentries to let them know someone's coming."

Wolf's mouth twisted in a thoughtful frown. "Numbers?"

Lee shook his head. "It's hard to tell. At least twenty but I doubt it's more than fifty. There's no Raider band I've ever seen or heard of outside of Evergreen Mills that's larger than fifty. Bop's group was only a dozen or so and they had a hard enough time makin' it. There's not a big enough water supply here to support that many people unless they wanna make daily trips to the river. I don't think Jerry's that stupid to have all of his people drinkin' that shit everyday."

"Are they armed well?" Wolf's frown was quickly turning into a scowl.

"Not as well as a good merc band but for scavs...real well. The sentries all have SMG's and several of the guards were armed with assault rifles. I think I even saw a combat shotgun or two. How much ammo they've managed to scrap together is anyone's guess. Those fuckers didn't seem too worried about it yesterday though."

"Great. I guess we'll have to step softly around this place until their numbers thin out." Wolf shrugged her shoulders as if casting off a weight. "Alright, Lee. Let's get moving to Big Town."

"If it's alright, I wanted to check on a group of Wasters I know that live close. It's on the way to Megaton. Maybe a half mile." Lee was relieved when Wolf nodded quickly. "Thanks, Oro."

"Fourth formation. Let's go." Wolf ordered and they began their march in the 'advance through enemy territory' order they had practiced.

Lee was on point, fifty feet or so ahead of them, with Wolf and then Evie backing him up at fifteen foot intervals. Rachel brought up the rear twenty feet behind Evie. The scout led his quad on a winding arc to the southwest and then northeast towards the refuge of a small community of ten that he knew about. They were hidden under one of the collapsed sections of skyroads that ran for great lengths across the Wastes. The group of people had managed to strike a deal with the old Springvale gang. There were enough people and guns to give the Raiders trouble if they pressed the issue so the gang had agreed to leave them alone in exchange for goods. Bop had not been as stupid as some claimed. Jericho had told him that it was a 'protection racket' that the gang was using on the Brumfields and their people. Lee knew that it wasn't right but they had never wanted to risk backing him up to wipe the gang off the map.

_God, I hope they didn't find them._

Echo was easing its way down the long slope to the shore of the river beneath the shade of a skyroad when the first frantic screams cut through the hot, thick air. Lee quickly dropped behind the cover of a tree trunk and motioned for the others to do the same. Several more screams rang out, giving him a general distance and direction. He quickly waved for them to regroup on his position. Soon the team was huddled around him.

"What do you want to do, boss?" Lee asked Wolf but he already knew what she should say.

"Be heroes. Two-by-two, standard." Wolf's voice and face were both deadly serious.

Lee and Rachel nodded simultaneously as they moved forward. Lee led the way with Rachel a dozen feet to his left and slightly behind him. The pair ghosted through the barren trees and over the spongy resilient weeds underfoot. A child began to cry and then shriek with pain as they neared the source of the commotion. Lee slid to his belly and slithered to the top of a small rise in the rolling countryside. He peeked over the edge and a cold rage flared deep in his gut at the sight before him.

Someone had hoisted a small, struggling figure over a barrel courtesy of a rope flung over the branch of a tree. The child was wailing now as a female Raider in a spiked metal brassiere cursed as she tried to start a fire in the metal barrel they had placed beneath the slowly swinging figure.

"Fuck! Vice! These fucking matches ain't no good!" she shrieked in a rough voice.

"We're busy over here, you dumb bitch!" Vice, Lee assumed, answered irritably before chuckling lewdly.

Lee's attention then turned to where several men were pushing a figure recognizable as a woman between them. She was utterly silent as they roughly pushed her between them in some kind of bizarre game. Finally, the woman tripped and fell at the feet of a man wearing thick leather gear of some sort and a welder's mask.

"Looks like it's my lucky day!" His muffled voice was thick and made Lee's skin crawl.

The twin rows of spiked blonde hair on the fallen woman's head allowed Lee to instantly identify her.

_Lori._

"How do you want to do it?" Rachel asked him after sliding closer to his position. "We can pop them all from here."

"Too risky. Those fuckers in Springvale might come see." Lee made sure the hood of his ghillie was secure against his back before sliding his weapons off.

"What are you doing?" Wolf's voice came from behind them.

"Get our weapons." Lee told them and handed Evie his sniper rifle. "They won't shoot if we don't have weapons."

"How do you know that?" Evie asked in worry as she received his Telly.

"Less chance you bite into a bullet." Wolf told her tonelessly as Rachel handed over her own firearms.

Lee turned back and saw that the mask-wielding man had begun slapping the woman furiously when she began fighting after being tossed onto a thin, nasty-looking mattress. One man had stayed behind to watch while the other two went over to help start the fire.

"I'll get the kid," Rachel said.

Lee nodded and rolled himself over the hill. He slid his tomahawk from its hoops on his lower back just as the watching Raider, whom had taken his shirt off to reveal a torso covered in scars and old burns, took a hit from a Jet inhaler. Lee was almost at the bottom of the slope when the man turned with the inhumanly fast, jerky motions of a Jet user and opened his mouth to let out a bellow of warning. A throwing knife was flying through the air before the Raider could utter a sound.

Instead of a warning, he screamed, "Shit!" and jumped to the ground.

There was no way in Hell Lee would have been able to hit even a stationary target with a knife while _he_ was running full-tilt down a hill but the Raider's drug-addled brain didn't know that. Lee hit the bottom of the small hill barely ten feet from the masked Raider. The man looked up from his position on top of Lori and was met by the ascending arc of the blunt end of Lee's tomahawk. It was such a powerful hit that Lee had to spin around in order not to have his wrist broken. His target's head snapped back and blood splattered from the inside of the mask.

"Come on, bitch!" Rachel's shout from his right told him that she had joined the fight.

"I'm gonna tear your guts out!" Jet Raider screamed shrilly as he came at Lee with a rusty combat knife in one hand and spiked brass knuckles on the other.

_Jet addicts; so predictable._ Lee thought as he let the man come into striking distance.

Jet could allow people to react faster, move quicker, and be hyper-aware but it never made them any smarter or more skilled. The Raider came at Lee with classically untrained wide arcs of his knife with his brass-knuckled hand held high to counter Lee if he tried to come within range. Lee took several steps back, timed a swing, and viciously chopped in the direction of the blow. The sharp edge of the tomahawk sliced deeply into the man's triceps and the force of the strike spun him around. Lee halted the spin with the forearm of his tomahawk-wielding hand and stabbed three times into the Raider's lower back with his own combat knife. He shoulder-blocked the Raider away and the man stumbled forward a few steps before falling with a low moan flat on his face.

Lee turned just in time to see the masked Raider, now unmasked, inject a full dose of Psycho into his upper thigh. The Raider's face, one eye already completely closed, was a bloody ruin but the drug would wash away everything except a mindless rage, if what Jericho had told him was true. With a savage howl, the Pyscho-driven Raider charged at Lee with his bare, sore-covered hands. There was no hesitation as Lee rolled beneath the man's reach on his right side. He popped back to his feet as the Raider turned and hit him across the temple with his tomahawk. There was a monstrous crack of shattered bone but the man didn't fall. It seemed to merely stun him but Lee had known that was a possibility. He continued to spin after his strike with the tomahawk and buried his knife up to the hilt in the man's sternum to, hopefully, bisect his heart. Lee kicked the dying man's ankle out from under him and pushed the Raider back at the same time to propel him off his feet.

_Better make sure,_ Lee thought as he dropped to his knees behind the downed man's head and raised his tomahawk in both hands.

Lee aimed for somewhere near the bridge of the nose and pounded three times as hard as he could with the blunt end of the tomahawk. Bones, flesh, and probably pieces of brain flew everywhere as the man twitched. The first time he had ever fought a Raider on Psycho was how he had gotten the longest scar on his back after turning away because he had shot the man twice in the chest with his Telly at point-blank range.

_Never make that mistake again._

Lee looked up to see if Rachel needed any help and was unsurprised to see that she did not. Her Power Fist was raised as she knelt over the prone body of the lone female Raider. It came down with that dreadful sound it made, the woman's body convulsed amid a small shower of gore, and the fight was over. Lee was slightly amused to see that, somehow, one of the Raiders had ended up in the fire barrel with his legs sticking into the air. The Raider that Lee had stabbed in the kidneys and liver was still feebly struggling but he wouldn't last long. One of Rachel's victims was curled up in a ball with his arms around his chest as he coughed up large clumps of blood.

Lee turned towards the hill and waved for the others to join them. The sound of Rachel's power fist came once again as she finished off the remaining Raider. He turned away as she kicked over the barrel holding the Raider and began to lower the wide-eyed and panting child.

"Hang on, Brucie!" Lee called to the boy. "We'll have you down in a minute!"

"Lee!" Bruce Brumfield sobbed his name and started crying again.

"Lee…."

The dazed, barely recognizable voice of Lori Singer rose from the disgusting mattress the Raiders had thrown her on. Lee went to his knees beside her and began wiping off his blades with a cleaning cloth he kept in his ghillie. The young woman's face wasn't horribly swollen yet but there was a small lump on the side of her face where she had been slapped the most. Besides that, she was surprisingly uninjured.

"Yeah, Lori. My friend's a medic. She'll take care of ya. Are there any more?" Lori turned vacant pale blue eyes on him and stared into whatever place she had gone to inside her head. "Lori!" Lee snapped his fingers in front of her face several times until she seemed to focus slightly on him. "How many more are there?"

"This was all." She said in that small, dead voice.

"Thank you." Lee was careful not to touch her and instead rose to his feet as Wolf came to his side.

"I don't think they broke anything but she's not all here." Lee told his leader as he took back his weapons.

"Okay." Wolf's lips pursed and she scratched beneath the lip of her helmet. "Take Rachel. Do a quick perimeter check. Three hundred feet. I'll get her moving."

"On it, boss."

Lee sheathed his knife and slid his tomahawk through its hoops as he jogged over to Rachel, Evelyn and Lee. He was bemused to discover that Brucie was clinging stubbornly to Rachel's leg as she tried to rearm herself.

"Hey, Brucie! Me and Auntie Moon need to go make sure there are no bad guys coming, okay?" Lee told the child in a casual tone as he slowed to a walk.

"Auntie Moon?" Brucie asked, his small brown eyes widening as he looked up at the scowling eyes of the pale Ranger.

Lee frowned as he saw that Brucie's mouth was covered in blood that had probably come from his swollen nose. "Yeah. That's where she comes from! See how pale she is and how dark her eyes are? I'll tell you all about it but you have to let her go now."

"Okay, Uncle Lee!" Brucie nodded his head and let go.

"That's Auntie Evie. She'll watch you until we get back! She could use a hand scaving for parts. Right, Auntie Evie?"

Evelyn crouched down in front of Brucie and nodded as a dazzling grin appeared on her face. "I sure could use a big, strong, brave guy like you to help me."

"I'm not brave. I screamed like a baby." Brucie declared and lowered his head.

"Of course you're brave! You didn't pee yourself or anything! And you tried to fight them, I bet! They were just bigger! That's all! When you're big like Lee, you'll be able to kick their asses!" Evie said and, impossibly, her grin seemed to grow when Brucie giggled.

"Momma doesn't like it when we swear."

Lee tilted his head for Rachel to join him as the conversation continued.

"Well, we won't tell your momma then, okay?" Evie whispered conspiratorially.

"Why the fuck did you tell him I was Moon but didn't tell him Evie was Money?" Rachel hissed when she assumed they were out of earshot.

"Wolf wants us to do a three hundred foot perimeter check and then meet her back there. North-south, clockwise." Rachel nodded and turned north. "And did you wanna explain to him why we call her MoneyMaker and what that really means?"

Rachel's reply was a middle finger.

* * *

Lee arrived from checking his side of the perimeter a few seconds before Rachel did. She shook her head to let him know that she hadn't found anything and he allowed himself a moment to be relieved; they had some time to work now. Lee and Rachel jogged over to where Wolf was examining Brucie's nose in the cover a trio of barren trees provided. Lori was sitting by Evie as the Ranger organized the supplies they had looted from the scavs.

"Perimeter's all clear, boss." Lee stopped and looked towards the sun. "We've got another five or six hours before the sun starts to go down. If they're with Jerry's crew, they'll send someone out here to look for them an before it gets full dark. This Jerry seems like he knows what he's doing. If I were in his place, I'd have the full crew out in the morning to see who did them."

"Can we bury them to give us some more time?" Wolf asked, not taking her eyes from Brucie's comically swollen nose.

"If they have trackers worth a shit, that'll make them check more carefully. As is, they'll probably assume this was a rival gang since there aren't any bullet wounds."

"Moon, Money, get the loot together and get ready to move out. Brucie, stay here and help Auntie Evie for me, okay? Lee." Wolf tilted her head and Lee followed her to a spot a couple dozen feet away. "Okay. Give it to me straight. You think they'll find whatever group those two came from?"

Lee sighed. "Tomorrow? Maybe. But the odds get better that one of them will get themselves caught scaving or hunting or gathering everyday that Jerry's crew is on the lookout."

Wolf bit her lower lip and nodded. "Then we'll have to move them to Big Town."

"I've been trying to get them to do that for as long as I've known them. They don't want to go. Brucie's family's been living there for fifty years."

Wolf grimaced and shook her head slowly. "It's either move or die, Lee. I don't see any other way out for them."

"Alright, boss. I'll back you up." Wolf clapped him on the shoulder and made her way back to the others.

In short order, Lee was once again in the lead, Wolf and Lori were second, Evie and Brucie third, and Rachel brought up the rear. It was a matter of minutes for them to reach the shadow of the skyroad and just as little time to reach the end of the skyroad on this side of the river; a section of it had broken off against a slope that led down the waterfront. There was a barely discernible path, purposefully made so, down and around the slope to what appeared to be just another large slab of stone. The group gathered around the hidden entrance, with Wolf, Rachel and Evie watching their six, as Lori walked up to hit the slab with a branch that had been laying in front of it. There was a hollow sound that should not have come from a solid stone block.

"Otis, it's Lori. We had some...trouble. Scavs or something got us but Lee and some of his friends saved us. Let us in, please."

A square swung inward with lightning speed and Lee found himself face-to-bore with a combat shotgun. The drum magazine glistened wetly with a need for Lee's blood; at least, that was the way it felt in his mind.

"Lori, Brucie, you step on inside, okay," Otis, Lee recognized his voice, ordered them and they quickly moved to obey. "Did you finally get the balls to move on us, kid?" Otis growled in his scratchy voice. "You thought you'd use the kids to get you and your buddies in, huh?"

"Estupido, you would have never seen me coming." Lee informed him matter-of-factly. "They got captured by some scavs trying to be raiders, like they said. They were just lucky we heard them."

"Bullshit! We have an agreement with Bop!"

"When was the last time him or any of his guys came by? That pendejo is fucking _dead_ and there's a bigger, nastier group running Springvale now!"

"Otis, ease up." Lee sighed in relief as Otis' partner, Vernon, placed a hand on the combat shotgun's barrel and pushed it down. "We've been wondering what was going on. Come on in before someone sees."

Behind him, Wolf called, "Let's go, Echo."

Lee led the way into a small, square room that stunk of body odor. It was barely large enough to fit the quad plus the two guards. The door was quickly shut and it took a minute for Lee's eyes to adjust to the gloomy interior lit solely by an electric lamp on the wall to his right. Otis was staring at Lee with barely disguised hate in his dark blue eyes. The bald former merc had taken, to Lee's mind, an idiotic dislike for him because Vernon seemed to like him so much. Lee had quickly learned it was pure jealously after Travis had told him the two were lovers. Vernon was too busy staring at the rest of Lee's group and the gear they were packing. He was a bit more survival focused in his love of machines than Money was. His green eyes practically lit up when he saw the railway rifle attached to Money's pack. Both of the former mercenaries were garbed in merc leathers from their former life that had seen better days.

"You have to forgive Otis, Lee. He's mad that Lori and Brucie managed to sneak out while he was on watch by himself." Vernon shrugged. "The girl's gotten meaner than a rattlesnake since her parents died." He grimaced as Lee's eyes widened. "Aw, shit! You haven't been back here in almost half a year! I forgot; Lori's parents both bought it. Raiders, you know. And we've got a new addition since then. You go on back. Matt and Lisa can fill you in better and I'm sure they'll want to hear about this new gang."

Quick, heavy footfalls echoed up the narrow, dirt-lined stairwell leading deeper into their community. Soon, a short, dirty-blonde woman with a crooked nose was slapping Otis full force across his face.

"You fucking stupid piece of shit!" Lisa Brumfield shouted furiously as her husband huffed and puffed his way up the stairs to quickly stop her assault on Otis. "You almost got my son _killed_! I knew we shoulda never let you in here, you motherfucker!"

"Lisa!" Matt Brumfield, who was much taller and heavier than his wife, had little trouble restraining her. "We don't have time for this! Brucie's alright! He's _fine_!"

Lisa, always quick to anger, struggled for a few more moments before settling down. "I won't forget this, asshole."

Otis rubbed his jaw and shrugged, "That little bitch told me you wanted me and that she'd keep watch for me. Next time, keep a better eye on your fucking brat. Not my fault the fuckin' kid's-" Lisa lunged at Otis and spit directly into his open mouth.

_Impressive aim or incredible luck_, Lee thought as Echo stood against the far wall and watched the dramatic display.

Otis spit on the floor and pure rage filled his features as he began to raise his shotgun to bear on the couple. Vernon stepped in front of him and stopped the advance of the weapon with one hand.

"Don't." Vernon said before turning to Lisa. "Look, Lisa, he really is sorry. How was he supposed to know that Lori would take your kid out and go gathering by themselves? Despite her little tantrums, we all thought she had a little more sense than that. But we have bigger problems to worry about right now. Lee says that Bop's group is all dead and there's new players in town."

Lisa, always easy to distract by perceived threats to the well-being of her group, fixed light blue eyes on Lee. "Why do you always bring bad news to us, kid?"

"Because I like you?"

Lisa, despite herself, chuckled, "Come on, Lee. I sent Lori to get the Polaski's. They'll meet us in the common room."

Matt Brumfield grinned at Lee and nodded in silent thanks for sidetracking his wife. "Good to see you, Walker."

The married couple, dressed alike in often-patched brown-gray overalls, turned to descend the stairwell.

"Walker?" Rachel asked from behind Lee as he followed them down.

"It's what they call me. Kind of an inside joke because before I discovered them, the Singers used to say I was always walking and the day I stopped I just might die." Lee told her as the Brumfields led them down the narrow, barely lit tunnel.

The dirt tunnel ended where someone had broken through into a pre-War underground complex. Lee had never figured out what it was for but he thought it might have been a water treatment sub-station from the constant smell of slightly stale water that permeated the place. They entered into what they called the "common room". It was where all but two of the families had always slept and, with the deaths of the Singers, Lee assumed the Polaski's were occupying the other private room in the place. The common room contained enough bunk beds along the far wall for sixteen people, a central cooking area that had been there as long as Matt's family had lived in the complex, and a community bathroom closed off by thin metal sheets. It was fairly clean despite the smattering of children's toys near one corner of the room. He spotted Brucie talking to a little girl with black hair, the Polaski's little girl, and an unfamiliar young woman with braids in her hair next to his own bunk bed. The resilient boy turned and waved to the group before turning back to his audience.

"Who are all these strangers!" A high-pitched voice that perfectly fit the speaker's personality assaulted their ears from the left.

Echo turned to see Lori leading a man and a woman towards them. They, like every other person in the place besides the mercs, were wearing those same overalls. Both had dark brown hair and eyes but that was where the similarities ended. The woman walked in the very back with one arm hooked around the man's as she took partial cover behind him at the sight of Echo and their weapons.

"Betty," Lisa seemed as though she was trying very hard to restrain a sigh of frustration, "-you know Lee and these people are with him. We can trust Lee. He's never done anything but right by us."

"How do you know they aren't holding him hostage? They might kill us all, Travis!" Betty Polaski looked up with round, panic-filled eyes at her husband.

Wolf stepped to Lee's side and leaned over to speak into his ear. "She always like that?"

Lee nodded. "Si."

"Bets, it's alright. You know Lee's good people. He'd die before doing something like that. You've heard the stories." Travis patted his wife's hand in an effort to reassure her.

"Well, they could just be stories." Betty protested but Lee could tell that she was almost convinced.

"Lori, go tell Otis and Vernon to meet us down here and _this time_," Lisa added with a glare, "-actually keep watch."

"Rachel can go with her, if you don't mind." Wolf volunteered Rachel's services with a tiny smile.

Lee's sharp ears heard Rachel mutter, "Every fucking time."

"That would be appreciated. Thank you."

Otis and Vernon joined them a few minutes later. Otis still had a sour look on his face and his head gleamed in the brighter light of the overheads in the common room.

"Alright. Lee, you want to make the introductions?" Lisa prompted him, her thin lips curved into an impish smile.

"This is my quad, Echo. That's Wolf and Evelyn. Rachel is the tall one that relieved Otis and Vernon. We're Reilly's Rangers, not that it means much to you guys." Lee pointed to each of the Wasters as he introduced them, "That's Matt and Lisa Brumfield; Otis and Vernon; Travis and Betty Polaski."

"Now, what's all this talk about new raiders in Springvale?"

Wolf nodded to Lee and the lone male in Echo briefly told the gathering about their encounters with Jerry's gang of wanna-be raiders. He finished on their rescues of Lori and Brucie to find that the Wasters were all glancing at each other with fear and anxiety written all over their faces. Wolf took that opportunity to step in.

"We've never heard of this Jerry but you can tell he's dangerous. He's a cannibal and lets his men eat all the long pork they want. I don't know or care what his agenda is but you're all in danger if you stay even this close to Springvale. He'll either pick you off one-by-one or take you all at once."

"You don't know that." Matt, always quick to see where a line of speech was leading, frowned at Wolf. He knew what she was going to suggest and, as Lee had surmised, he was having known of it.

"I know what you're thinking." Wolf nodded at Matt as she spoke. "You think you can cut the same deal, right? From what Lee's told me, Bop wasn't a cannibal. He didn't go out and hunt people and actually _hated_ people that did. Even if his men were starving, he wouldn't tell them to come here, take one of you, and cook you for the stewpot." Wolf fixed Matt with the unnerving, penetrating stare she reserved for when people were being stupid. "Those men that almost cooked your _son_ didn't do it because they were starving. They did it because they _like_ it. It gets them off. It's a drug."

"There's too many guns here for a group of raiders to think they can take us out!" Otis snapped, his teeth bared in a mad grin. "I say we ride it out like we always have and wait for them to either go away or get ready to make a deal."

Wolf let loose a dry little laugh, "We've already killed their men. If they find you, they'll think you did it. You really have enough supplies in here to wait for a year or two before they thin out enough so you can go back outside to gather supplies? If they ever find this place and you think you can wait them out... well, you've seen molerats get smoked out of their holes, haven't you?"

"They'll kill us all!" Betty practically screamed and collapsed by her husband's leg in a sobbing heap.

"Shhh! Quiet, Betty! You'll scare the children!" Matt pulled his wife from the ground and pointed her in the direction of the attentively watching children.

That seemed to be enough for Betty to somewhat compose herself as Wolf continued, "The only option left is to run if you want to live."

Matt's fists tightened in anger. "Where the fuck are we supposed to go, huh? Megaton? Rivet? Megaton doesn't have enough room for all of us and we'll die before we even get halfway to Rivet. How do we even know that Rivet would have room for us? This place has held four generations of my family and I'm not giving it up for a place in shitholes like Megaton and Rivet City!"

Lisa placed her hand on Matt's arm in a reversal of their roles. "Honey, you know our water's been getting low these last few years anyway. Didn't we always talk about moving someplace better when Brucie was older? We just have to move it up a little bit."

"Yeah, but where'll we go? I still haven't heard that yet."

"Big Town."

Six pairs of eyes widened to incredibly proportions at Wolf's announcement.

"Are you shitting me?" Lisa shouted. "Those dumbshits in Big Town are... just... _fuck_! I don't even know how that town still has people in it. It fills up every few years and then it's empty a year later! I heard they get raided by super mutants _and_ slavers on a regular basis. That's fuckin' suicide!"

"No, Lisa," Wolf interrupted the woman's furious tirade and light blue eyes met amber eyes in a duel of wills. "Suicide is staying in a place where your _son_ almost got burned alive!"

That seemed to sap all of the fight out of Lisa and she leaned back against her husband who tenderly rubbed her arms.

"It's okay, honey." Matt kissed the top of his wife's head before looking at Wolf. "What time do you want us to go?"

Wolf looked at Lee and gave him a nod to speak.

"An hour before sun-up. I'll scout the area and make sure it's clear of predators before we head out. I expect them to be beating the bushes for you tomorrow morning as soon as the majority of them are functional."

Vernon chuckled and looked sheepish when everyone looked at him. The big merc shrugged. "First time I ever heard him use the term 'functional'."

"Someone's been rubbing off on me."

Everyone laughed at that and no one noticed the smirk that Lee and Evie shared.

"I don't know about the rest of you but I'm getting my family out of here." Lisa spoke with conviction and received a nod from her husband.

"Why Big Town, Lee?" Vernon asked. "Why not someplace nobody knows about?"

"Finding a place as close as Megaton isn't very likely. Even if you do, it'll prolly be occupied. Not to mention, if it's defensible or not. Big Town's got a decent water supply and they've been building up defenses for years. They just always lacked manpower and experience. You'll see. Once we get there, you'll feel much more secure."

* * *

Lee, the rest of Echo, and the Wasters they were escorting stood in front of the blackened front entrance to Big Town. Several pitiful figures wandered around the area in a daze. Huge patches of blood marred the ground in multiple locations. Lee stood in front of a single huge footprint that could only have come from one thing.

_Super mutant_.

"I feel soooooo much more secure, fucker!" Otis spit to emphasize his point.

Lee could only form one response.

"You will."


	17. XVII

_Author's Note:_

_I listened to a lot of Lux Aeterna by Clint Marshall while I wrote this chapter. I think it best fits the chapter starting with the Ranger's in the basement. Then I listened to Panoramic by Atticus Ross, from the Book of Eli soundtrack, whenever the quad is traveling the Wastes. That's one of the best desolate landscape tracks I've ever heard. Youtube them. You won't be disappointed._

_

* * *

_

"Timebomb, get up! Please get up!" The panicked shriek of a woman startled the group out of their shock.

Lee watched as Kimba, who stood out because of her dark skin and leather armor, fell to her knees besides an ominously still body in front of the nearest ranch home on the left that they called the clubhouse.

"Lee, you're it!" Wolf exclaimed as she bounded across the bridge over a deep pool of sickly green water that helped protect Big Town.

Echo's medic rushed to the injured man's side and began pulling items from her pack. Kimba seemed too numb to question her sudden appearance and simply responded to Wolf's questions. Lee took a deep breath, let his anxiety move through him unimpeded, and began speaking as he led the group across the bridge.

"Otis, Vernon, I need you to man this post. Don't let anyone older than 18 through until I find Dusty." Lee pointed to the nearest home on the right. "Lisa, Betty, you take the kids to that house over there. It's got the thickest walls and a working kitchen. Come out here and find Money or Wolf if you need something. Money, take Matt, Travis and Lori around the inside perimeter; check for holes, bodies, ammo, anything we can use. Georgia, you're with me and Rachel. We're going to make sure the town is ghost."

Lee turned and found himself at the center of incredulous stares from the Wasters that Echo had brought with them. Living and dealing with the Rangers had let him forget that he rarely had a lot to say to anyone. It was probably a shock to hear him speaking so much and actually giving people orders.

"Who died and made you the man, kid?" Otis growled, his teeth clenched around a chewing stick he'd picked up on the way.

"We go by a chain of command. Walker's next." Rachel's fists were clenched as she squared off with Otis and fairly bristled with irritation at the man's constant digging.

"I'm not in your low-rent little merc band, girlie. So shove that chain right up your ass!" Otis snapped and stepped up so that he was nose-to-nose with Rachel.

Thankfully, before Rachel pushed Otis' bulbous nose into his face, Vernon separated the two.

"Otis, calm the fuck down. This is their show for now so just do what Lee told you and sit the fuck down!" Vernon led Otis over to a chair that had somehow remained standing by the bridge and pushed him down into it.

Otis muttered something but remained seated as he removed his pack, dropped his duffel bag, and cradled his combat shotgun in his hands. Vernon gave Lee an embarrassed shrug and unburdened himself of gear before standing by Otis' side with his Chinese-style assault rifle at the ready.

Lee turned to the rest of the group. "Does anyone else have a problem?"

Lisa and Betty shooed the kids along towards the building Lee had pointed out in response to his question.

"Matt, Travis, Lori, let's go." Evie waved them onward and they followed quickly enough.

Georgia, the new addition to the group, hung back with Rachel and watched him with bright hazel eyes. She was supposed to be a very good hunter from a family of vagabond hunters that had wandered into a Raider war and gotten themselves killed. The girl, like most experienced nomadic Wasters, didn't talk a whole lot. The three scouts began divesting themselves of everything that would weigh them down that was not strictly necessary to do a short-range perimeter check. Lee was impressed that Georgia only took a few seconds longer to prepare herself.

"You ready to do this, Walker?" Rachel asked with a tiny smirk.

_She's not going to let the Walker thing go._

Lee was about to nod and lead them out when he remembered just how jumpy Dusty could be. He had also forgotten how Flash had tried to fight him the last time he had stopped by and that was the first time they had met.

"On second thought, I have to run a little damage control. You two keep an eye out with Otis and Vern." Both of the women nodded and went to take up sentry positions with the lovers.

Wolf and Kimba were carrying Timebomb on one of Evie's collapsible stretchers to the clinic at the far end of town as he walked into the center of Big Town. Flash and Dusty were two of the people walking in a daze around the fire. They were definitely the ones he needed to snap out of it before something went wrong.

"Hey, Flash." Lee spoke in a low, steady voice that he hoped wouldn't startle the young man.

The Big Towner was dressed in a stained white T-shirt with canvas pants held up by suspenders of all things. Old, almost worn-through, leather shoes adorned his feet. What caught Lee's attention was the shiny barrel of a .32 pistol clutched in his hand. Flash had obviously acquired it during Lee's absence. A small cut on Flash's left cheek was his only injury.

"Plenty to eat, my ass," Flash muttered to himself. "Maybe if I ate bullets." That was followed by a dry chuckle. "Oh... do I know you?"

"It's Lee, Flash. I was here a year ago. You tried to get into a scrap with me, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. I remember you. You were scared of ol' Flash." Brown eyes livened up a little bit as he stroked his ego. He ran his hands, while one still clutched his pistol, along his high, heavily-greased dirty-blonde hair. "I shouldn't be surprised you avoided this cluster-fuck. We really took it up the wazoo this time."

"Yeah." Lee nodded and pointed to the group guarding the bridge. "I've brought some people with me and we're going to help you guys, okay? They could use somebody with some balls to help them out. Tell them I sent you, okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah! You're right! I can't let no strangers fuck up defending Big Town without the Flasher!" With that unintentionally hilarious statement, Flash marched towards the sentry group.

"Hey, Dusty." Lee wasn't surprised that the guy had on his customary Rivet City-style helmet, complete with visor, and his hunting rifle in his hands as he wandered around the fire.

Dusty leather armor, stained with blood that was certainly not his if he was still able to walk, turned to fix dull brown eyes on Lee. Lee grimaced as he saw that there was a darkening bruise that nearly covered the left side of Dusty's face.

"Lee, I have to keep watch. Have to watch the north. It isn't safe." Dusty's voice was slow, methodical and monotone.

"Good, Dusty. That's good." Lee pointed back towards the slowly growing gathering of guards. "We should probably get you back to your chair, right?"

"Yeah. My chair." Dusty began moving towards the chair like a puppet with only half its strings.

Lee quickly jogged back to Otis, who was sitting in Dusty's chair, "Otis, can you get up? Dusty is coming back and that's his chair. He's kinda gonzo right now and it'll be good for him."

Otis scowled at Lee for far too long before Vernon poked him in the neck with his middle finger. Otis jerked up with a hiss and rounded on Vernon. The shorter, stockier man just raised his eyebrows and Otis muttered something obscene but he didn't sit back down. Lee watched Dusty as the traumatized man settled down into the seat.

"Alright. Let's go, you two." Lee waved to Georgia and Rachel as he led the way back over the bridge.

* * *

Georgia was very good at scouting and moving quietly. She was better than Rachel but, after Lee's tutelage of the Ranger, not by that much. After an initial foray out into the town, Lee had given her the nod to expand the perimeter check to the immediate surroundings to the south. Rachel had gone west while Lee had gone directly north to circle to the east before they met back in Big Town. He had told them to be gone no more than a half an hour and he found them both waiting for him as he jogged up to the bridge.

"Report." He ordered them before he had completely slowed to a stop.

"Zippo, Lee. I found a couple of Mutie tracks but there wasn't signs of a fight." Rachel shook her head. "Probably just lookouts for stragglers."

Georgia nodded her braided head, "Same thing I found."

Lee had suspected as much but it was good to know. "Alright. Let's go see what's happening and make a report. Don't forget to drink."

It was still a few hours before noon but the day was already warming up and Lee wanting them both ready in case Wolf wanted them to go on a deep recon mission.

_I would have never thought that I would be thinking or doing this kind of thing. It's weird. Good, but weird._

Otis, Vernon, and Dusty were the only three still on watch when Lee's team crossed the bridge. The sounds of hammering and sudden spats of vicious cursing echoed from the junk patch in the west end of Big Town.

_I guess Evie's hard at work._

"Where's everybody?" Lee asked Vernon because Otis refused to even look at him.

"Wolf got Matt, Lisa, and Travis together to talk about what we're gonna do now that we're in this shitstorm. My vote, if anyone cares, is to lay a patch and get to Megaton." Vernon shrugged his broad, armored shoulders. "That greaser kid, Flash, and that dark girl, Kimba, went with them. Is he for real? He kept rubbing that little peashooter and talking about how he'd 'show those Mutos next time'."

"I'm pretty sure that little fucker shit himself and I _know_ the other one did." Otis grumbled from his spot on the other side of the bridge.

"Yeah. That little bastard that's helping Money. What's his name? Papsmear?"

"Pappy?" Lee asked and was genuinely amazed that the guy had actually managed to survive.

"That's it. At least he's helpful. There's this gonzo chick that was walkin' around like a damn zombie; going on and on about death and darkness. She didn't do a damn thing except talk that shit and then say she was going to bed."

Otis spit on the ground next to him. "Yeah, kid. Real first-class outfit you joined us up with."

Lee ignored him and nodded to Vernon. "Where are they meeting at?"

"The clubhouse over there. You could hear 'em yellin' before Money and her crew got to work."

"Thanks, Vernon." Lee turned to Rachel and Georgia. "Alright. Five minute break. Then I want you two to see what Money managed to find and take an inventory. The house on the right at the end is Red's clinic. It's got a basement. Take all the gear down there and see what we've got."

Lee clapped both women on the shoulder before making his way to the clubhouse. Once he got close enough, Lee could make out the sounds of furious shouting coming through the thick wooden door. There was no need to knock because he'd have to practically break down the door to be heard over the racket they were raising inside.

The door opened into the front room of the house and it was normally sparsely furnished. A couple of dirty mattresses and a nightstand were the only furniture that Lee could recall the last time. He discovered that it was still true but the presence of so many adult bodies made the room seem much smaller. The mattresses had been pushed against the walls to make room. The majority of the room's occupants stood near the walls as they watched the shouting match occurring directly beneath the dim light from the ceiling fixture. What was surprising, to Lee at least, was that it was Wolf and Lisa that were engaged in it.

"Really? You wanna tell me that we're in a better place one more time! You really are a crazy bitch!" Lisa screamed so hard that she pumped her fists at waist-level several times. "It's a fuckin' deathtrap! _Just like I said!_"

"For the last _fucking_ time, Lisa! Shut the fuck up and calm the fuck down! Getting hysterical ain't gonna solve a damn thing! I un'erstand that you're scured for your children but you're gonna scur' them worse!"

_Oh, she must be mad. That's the thickest I've ever heard her accent._

"You don't understand shit! Look at this fucking place! It's like those mutant fuckers just barged right in, did whatever they wanted, and then strolled out! If we stay here, we're all gonna fucking die!" It was a good thing that Betty Polaski wasn't in attendance. She would have been frantically agreeing with Lisa's pronouncement. "Why did we listen to you?"

"Because you knew we was right, that's why!" Wolf snapped and took a deep breath before she began speaking again. "The situation isn't hopeless. There're still options."

"_Like what_?" Lisa's voice raised to an ear-rending shriek.

"Like taking those Muties out before they come at us again!" Wolf shouted back and that shut Lisa down for a few seconds before the woman burst into manic laughter.

Her husband placed a hand on her shoulder only to be immediately and violently shrugged off. "Do you hear this crazy bitch? She really thinks she can take on a whole fucking army of Mutos! Who the fuck are you gonna get to run with you? Otis and Vernon? Ha! Georgia? Betty? Those shithead kids? You're fucking _gonzo_!"

"So what do you wanna do, Lisa?" Wolf stepped even closer to the ranting woman so that they were literally chest to armored chest. "You wanna go crawl back into your hole and pray to God that nobody digs you out and carves you up like a roast brahmin? You wanna spend the rest of your life scraping by and waitin' to die? What kind of life are you going to give your kid? What kinda example are you gonna set?"

"I'm going to teach him how to _live_! You're just gonna show him how to die!" Lisa's lips had pulled back from her teeth as she stared up at Wolf.

"Maybe." Wolf nodded. "Or maybe I'll show _them_ how."

The two women stood there in a silent battle of wills for a few moments before Matt noticed that Lee had actually entered the room. "Hey, The Walker's back!"

Suddenly Lee was the center of the room's attention and he did not like it in the least.

"Well, Walker, you've always seen sense. What do ya think?" Matt asked as he finally managed to maneuver Lisa away from the center of the room.

Lee shrugged. "All everyone does out here is try to stay alive. That ain't the same as living. I know the difference now. Wolf's right. Someday somebody had to take a stand. Why not us?"

There was another moment of silence before Wolf cleared her throat. "We're not going to decide anything until we know what we're up against. Why don't you three go see what we can scrap together to feed all these people with tonight? I don't think anyone's going to leave today."

"Alright, Wolf." Matt ushered his wife, who had slowly donned a thousand-yard stare, out of the room.

Travis followed and that left the two native Big Towners alone with them.

"What do you want us to do?" Flash asked, all bravado gone from his voice.

"Go see what you can do to help Money. I'm sure she's got a job for you two."

The Big Towners nodded and quickly made their exit. Wolf sighed and gestured for Lee to follow her. They walked into the back room and then made a left into a dimly lit kitchen that had sheet metal in slates over the windows. It was hot and stifling but it was unlikely anyone could eavesdrop on them.

"I really should let the ones without concussions sleep but I doubt they could anyway." Wolf shook her head. "Report."

Lee slipped off his rifle and headwrap before sliding into a chair at the rickety kitchen table. Wolf took the seat opposite him and waited for him to speak.

"It was a night raid but you knew that. Best I can tell, six to eight Muties marched down from the north at night and managed to surround the town. They had lookouts south, west, and east for stragglers and then the rest raided the town."

"You're telling me that, at most, six Muties did all this?"

Lee laughed humorlessly. "In case you haven't noticed, the people here aren't exactly the toughest hombres in the Waste. I'd be shocked if more than three actually attacked. The only reason the town ain't empty is probably because the others managed to squeeze out of the tiny holes they leave in the walls so they can get out. They all probably hid until the Muties went away."

Wolf nodded. "That's what Flash and Kimba said. They said that they took a couple of live ones. Red and Shorty?"

Lee returned her nod. "Red's the town doc. She's not bad but I don't know where she got her training. I had her stitch me up once and it wasn't neat like Doc Church or you. Shorty's about as tall as Money but they say they call him that 'cause of his short temper. Poor bastards."

"Do you think we can rescue them?" Wolf asked in a soft voice.

Lee looked at her dirt-smudged face, oddly serene in the light that made it through the armored window, and sighed. "Maybe. It'll be risky. I know where the Muties that raid this place are holed up. It's a big building about an hour's hard walk north. It's well-fortified and close quarters. No one's ever even tried taking them out; though that's where they strike at a lot of the raider gangs in this area. They've wiped out several in the years I've been here."

"Any idea what kind of odds we'd be looking at?"

"They just finished a raid so they'll be at full strength if they haven't lost anyone. Best guess... between ten and fifteen."

Wolf placed her hands on the table and clasped them together in front of her. She gently bounced her hands against the table as she thought about the task ahead of them. As usual, it didn't take long for her to come up with an idea.

"Is there any way we can draw a lot of them off?"

"Maybe." Lee rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "There's a rocky hill to the north of the building. It's got good cover. If we take out one of two of them from that direction, they'll probably send out half a dozen in case it's raiders. Some raiders get so stupid-hungry that they try it. Never more than once though."

"Do you think you and Rachel could draw them off and keep them busy long enough for me and Money to go in and get the prisoners?"

The idea of Evelyn going into a building with super mutants without him caused his heart to skip a beat but he didn't let it show on his face.

"You should take Rachel inside. I can move better if I'm by myself. I can buy you the time."

"Should we include any of the others?"

Lee snorted laughter. "Fuck no, boss. Vernon's pretty solid but him and Otis are both former Talon. They're not the hero types. I'm surprised they haven't disappeared already. Georgia's probably the only decent shot besides those two but I wouldn't trust her not to lose it when it gets bad. I was worried about Money but, after the shit with the ants, I think she'll do fine."

Wolf nodded, her golden-brown gaze steady on his. "That's what I thought too. It looks like it'll just be us. Four dumbasses against a heap of ugly motherfuckers."

To Lee's surprise, hearing Wolf put it in those terms relaxed him.

"Would you have it any other way?"

Wolf grinned. "We all go to Hell someday, sinful as people are, and I couldn't think of better company. Here's how I think we should do it..."

* * *

Lee sat down with a sigh in the back room of the clubhouse. The quad had appropriated it as their temporary base of operations and no one had questioned it. Most of them had been eager to put as much distance between the most likely direction an attack would come from and themselves as they could. He had finally managed to take off his ammo vest and at least unzip the top of his ghillie. It had been a long day and tomorrow was probably going to be longer. Eating the plate of brownish-gray slop he had been given and going to sleep sounded like heaven.

The sun had been below the horizon for a little more than an hour. Evie, to the amazement of everyone but Echo, had managed to get the busted sentry bot in the junk heap working. The genius mechanic had told them it only had ten missiles left but the gatling laser had plenty of charge. Rachel was probably making sure that Flash, Pappy, and Kimba were all cleaning their weapons after she had given them a crash course in marksmanship. Wolf was giving the bare bones of their plan to the transplants from the treatment plant hideout. Lee finally had a moment to himself after a day of fielding questions about Echo and the Rangers from just about everyone except Otis, Vernon and Georgia. There had seemed to be someone coming up to him nervously whenever he tried to do something. He had been helping Travis build some kind of contraption that Evie had produced schematics for on top of the roof of the clubhouse when Flash had clambered up the ladder and started bragging loudly about how eager he was to give the super mutants a taste of his heat. That had started a conversation that ended with Lee suggesting that Rachel give them some tips on shooting.

_Hopefully it gives them a little confidence. I just wish I could have done it sooner. Bah. I barely had enough ammo for _me_ the last time I was here. Let alone them._

Lee mindlessly shoveled the horrible-tasting slop into his mouth until it was gone. He didn't even know what was in it, tasted a little like ant-meat and grain mash, but it would keep him alive and that was all that mattered. He finished off the metal cup of water he had also been given and he would have agreed with Wolf's assessment that _this_ water tasted foul. It had a chalky, bitter taste that was enough to distract from the aftertaste of the meal he had just devoured. The bone-tired Ranger slipped off his boots and socks, checked for signs of trench-foot, and lay back on his sleeping bag. He was using his backpack as a makeshift pillow and that was infinitely preferable to using any of the mattresses that the Big Towners used. Lice were a problem in most of the settlements out in the Waste and Big Town was no exception. He strongly suspected that Wolf would have them all deloused outside of Megaton when they made it back there.

The door to the clubhouse opened and closed just as Lee was beginning to drift off to sleep. He raised his head in time to see Evie, looking just as tired as he was, plod over to the adjacent bag to his. The quiet sounds of Evie preparing for bed, he assumed she had eaten earlier, almost lulled him to sleep before she spoke to him.

"Hey, Lee. Is it true what Wolf said? You're gonna let the Muties chase you while we go in?"

Lee looked up and did a double-take at the state of Evelyn's hair. Her dark brown hair was normally fairly loose except where it fell into a braid at the back of her hair but now it was in the neat little rows that Georgia seemed to prefer.

"What's with the hair?" He asked her instead of answering the question.

Evie chuckled and patted the top of her head, "You like it? Wolf asked Georgia to do me and hers. She said it's easier to put the lice grease on our scalps this way. Georgia said they're called 'corn-rows'. That's kind of a funny name, isn't it?"

"You've never heard of cornrows before?" Lee shouldn't have been surprised but it was amusing how much Evie still didn't know about the world at large.

"No. Everyone in the old place had really old, _boring _hair." Evie smiled and shifted her backpack-pillow around so that she could face Lee. "You still haven't answered my question."

"It's true. I'm the decoy."

"Oh." Evelyn's face fell at the confirmation. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine, bonita. I was doing this kind of thing before I joined up, remember?" He tried to reassure her but the look on her dirt-smudged face was skeptical.

"You've been the bait for a bunch of super mutants before?"

Lee shrugged. "No, but I've done it with raiders before and I know enough about super mutants to do it."

"Really?"

"They're made for one of two things. Either close-in fighting or what Leroy used to call 'shock troops'. It's when you send in your biggest, toughest people to screw the other side up so you can get all _your_ shit together. That's why super mutants aren't too bright, you know. You don't need brains to get let loose in a camp or an outpost and go on a rampage. Or to get pointed at an army and told to kill 'em all. That's why they're made tough. It takes a lot to put one down unless you can get them with a clean, through-and-through headshot. Even with pre-War guns in good condition... well, if you get more than two or three chargin' at you in a building, you're probably not going to do so well. They're got terrible distance vision and I don't think they're scent-hunters. Best I can tell, besides being way stronger and having built-in stimpaks, they're not that much better than humans. But, like I said, you don't have to be when you can take a mag of assault rifle rounds to the chest and keep comin'." Lee pursed his lips as he craned his neck to meet Evie's big brown eyes. "That's why I'm more worried about you than I am about me. That's why I'll gladly take the risk if it means you'll make it back out."

Evie's eyes teared up and she lunged at him like a hungry yao guai. It wasn't the smart thing to do, given their vow, but Lee couldn't resist giving into this small bit of comfort. Their lips met, parted, and darted back in with a vengeance. They kissed each other in a wild, hungry way that was new and exciting. Lee knew it was going too far when Evie slipped his hand into the unzipped top of the jumpsuit she had taken to wearing beneath her armor. He instinctively squeezed a handful of her flesh before he came back to his senses. If he was honest with himself, it was the front door opening that did it.

His hand was out of Evie's jumpsuit in a flash and they separated even faster. Lee turned his back to the entryway and he heard Evie mumble a sleepy greeting to the person that had interrupted them.

"What a bunch of lazy shits!" The lightheartedly caustic statement let him know who it was and then the door opened and closed once again. "Hey, SB! Would you look at these lazy bastards?"

Wolf chuckled and the soft sounds of both women removing their chestplates filled the room before she replied. "Lee _has_ been running around all day and dealing with a bunch of irritating questions, I'm pretty sure. And you know how Money operates. She's just a big old ball of energy."

Lee grinned as he willed his painfully erect manhood to deflate. _You have no idea._

* * *

"You all know your roles. You know what you gotta do." Wolf projected her voice so that it filled the basement of Red's clinic. "There's nothing at all to worry about as long as we do our jobs. In and out. We're the holy wind of salvation. The blade of vengeance. Ain't nobody or nothin' gonna stop us."

Lee clipped a pair of grenades to his ammo vest and made sure they were easily concealable beneath the cloak of his ghillie. Echo Quad was in the basement/armory of Big Town for their final preparations for their rescue mission. They had all put together light packs, Rachel's was empty except for the four spare missiles she had for her launcher, that would see them to their destination and back again.

"Walker." Evelyn called, her girlish features set into what Rachel had taken to calling the "Hard Money" face.

Lee turned to her and checked the straps of her harness before clapping her on the shoulderpad.

"We're the baddest hombres that ever walked the Wastes and today we're gonna prove it." Wolf slipped her helmet on over her freshly braided cornrows and fastened the chin strap. "Who are we?"

"_Reilly's Rangers_!"

Wolf certainly had a way with her pre-mission speeches. Lee had thought them embarrassing when she had begun practicing on the quad during practice runs in Megaton but, he had to admit, they were kind of motivating in an odd way.

"_Who are we_?"

"_Reilly's Rangers_!"

"Damn right! Inspection line!" The trio of Rangers lined up for Wolf to circle them and inspect their rigs. "More eager than a virgin in a whorehouse."

Wolf stopped in front of Lee so that he, as her second, could make sure that she had her weapons and gear squared away. She did, of course, and Echo's leader led the way up the stairs at a jog. They quickly made their way through the house, past the front room where Timebomb watched them through his dose of Med-X as he lay on a stained gurney, and left the clinic. Lee was surprised to find that a crowd had gathered a dozen feet in front of the guardpost. Even the children were out to see them off apparently.

Wolf led the way with fast, determined strides but was brought up short when Lisa stepped in front of her.

Pappy was the first one to speak though. "You guys are fucking gonzo if you try this. You'll just get your asses killed."

Lisa glared at Pappy but nodded in agreement. "Pappy's right. There's no reason to throw your lives away. If they're not dead already, they're probably not in any shape to make it back. You have people that need you here. We need your help getting this place ready."

Wolf looked around the crowd before she spoke in her 'Dont. Fuck. With. Me.' voice. "We can't stay here. We're mercs, in case you forgot. We have to make a living and there are a lot of people that need help."

"Who says you have to help them! You can have a life here with us. Look at Otis and Vernon." Lisa's voice was stern but her eyes were desperate for them to stay.

"If we don't, who will?" Wolf took a step forward into Lisa's personal space. "Now get the fuck out of my way."

"What if I don't? You going to shoot me?" Lisa folded her arms beneath her breasts and took a defiant stance.

"Matt," Wolf turned to Lisa's husband and tilted her head at the stubborn woman. "Get her out of my way or I will."

"Lisa..." Matt reached out but the volatile woman slapped his hand away and turned hateful blue eyes on him.

"Shut up! You let them talk us into coming and they're just gonna go get themselves killed and leave us here ta die in this shithole! They can't go! I won't let-"

Lisa turned back just in time to meet Wolf's palm. Wolf followed through with the motion and shoved Lisa into a startled Pappy. Brucie yelled for his mom and ran to her side.

"Hey!" Matt shouted and lunged for Wolf.

Rachel was there in an instant. She spun Matt around, tripped his ankle out from under him, and had her knee on the back of his neck in seconds. Wolf had stood her ground as though it was all pre-planned.

"We're not her children." Wolf gestured for Echo to follow her and started across the bridge.

Lee turned and walked backwards to keep an eye on Rachel as she removed herself from Matt's back. Rachel did the same and neither turned their back until they were out of sight of the stunned group. He did hear a bit of the conversation that followed even above the panicked shouting.

"You two just sat there and let that bitch nearly break my neck?"

Otis' laughter rose above it all before he shouted back, "Never fuck with a bitch with a rocket launcher!"

_I always knew he was smarter than he looked._

"Did you really have to face-mash her like that, boss?" Evie asked as Rachel and Lee jogged to catch up.

"She's been pushing me since we met. I know her type. She's got a big man to back her up so she thinks she can treat people however she wants. Lisa's lucky I didn't pistol-whip her. Lee, set the pace."

There was no need to tell them to move in the fourth formation. There was nothing but enemy territory for at least two square miles. Lee followed the broken road north past a small hill on their left towards one of the few intact bridges that spanned the Potomac. The sun was cresting the horizon to their left and there were still isolated stands of stars visible in the sky. It was a beautiful morning, as they usually were in the harsh wastes, but it was best not to become too complacent. Lee normally wouldn't have been out this early, this deep into the Wastes, because giant radscorpions loved to catch their prey going back to their burrows at dawn.

Once they neared the bridge, Lee picked the pace up to a fast jog. He knew that raiders occasionally used a riverside shack to the northeast as a base but he doubted there were any there so soon after a party of super mutants had been through the area. That didn't mean there weren't any scavs around, Jerry's group being the foremost in his thoughts, and he didn't want to risk tipping off anyone or anything in the area with a firefight. Lee didn't stop until he was in the rolling countryside on the opposite bank. They were provided cover by the contours of the land and there were plenty of dead trees, as well as boulders, to take hide themselves behind if they came under fire. He slowed to a fast walk that they could easily maintain and followed the road north. He hoped that no one would notice the ruins of a church to the west. It was another hideout that rotated between scavs, raiders, and Muties.

Soon they came to a skyroad that a small section had fallen from to block the road they traveled. It was easy enough to go around and find the road again. As soon as the skeletal remains of a town, reaching up in macabre imitation of a forest, Lee made a detour to the east. He took them on a circuitous route around the town and buildings until they cut west down a road due north of the main building. Echo quad descended down another rubble covered road with only the faintest sound and Lee was immensely proud of his team. They had come so far, so very fast. Lee pointed towards an outcropping of rock on the hillside to the north and led the way there. The day was become brighter and hotter with each passing hour. If the super mutants had glutted themselves on flesh the night before, that would explain why there had been no signs of sentries posted. He cast that thought from his mind.

Lee helped Wolf up onto the rock and the two lay prone as they pulled out their binoculars.

"I thought you said it was heavily fortified?" Wolf asked as she saw the blown out back portion of the super mutants' base. There was nothing more than an open chain-link fence protecting the back entrance.

"It is in the front. They have a minefield up there and a maze of all kinds of sharp shit. They leave this back way open so _they_ don't blow themselves up. That's why... see?" Leslie magnified on the image of a pair of super mutants emerging from the side door. It was funny watching them stoop their way through the relatively low threshold. "They post two, sometimes three, guards out back. If anybody tries the back way, they're fucked. The front way, you don't even make it two steps unless you know how to spot and disarm a mine. I always wondered how the fuck dumbass Muties even know how to set-up mines."

"Okay, Lee. How are we gonna do this?"

Lee pointed to a mound of rubble across a street from the fence. "See that? I'm going to use that. I'll injure those two. Bad enough so they can still scream. I'll need the launcher. Once I get a nice sized group clustered around them, I'm gonna light them up. Then I'll make a nice big target of myself. Rach can pick up the launcher from the busted-up house on the right. See it?"

"Yeah." Wolf placed a wad of irradiated gum in her mouth and chewed it aggressively for a few seconds. "Yeah, I see it. Where do you want us?"

"Those houses on the left. They won't think to look there."

"Okay. You ready?"

"Always." Lee slid back down the outcropping and turned to help Wolf but found that she was already coming down on her own. "You know that's a bad habit, boss. Chewing that shit'll give your sores."

"I know that, asshole." Wolf slapped him on the back of the head before turning to Rachel. "Rach, give him the missile launcher. I'll show you where we'll get it back."

Rachel quickly assembled the missile launchers two pieces and handed the heavy weapon to Lee. "You need extra ammo?"

"No. I won't have time to reload it." Lee took one last look at his quad. "See you later."

Then he turned around and jogged down the bank to the mound of rubble. During the brief trip, his mind settled into itself into the detached state that fell over him just before battle. He went through the motions to prepare himself, quick and smooth, just as he had more times than he could remember. Lee placed the missile launcher within easy reach at the top of the mound, set his rifle up as he lay prone, and carefully sighted on his two targets.

The mutants' sickly yellow-green skin bulged with muscle and gleamed with sweat under the early morning light. Neither of them were facing his position and, even if they were, they had not elevated their heads enough to really see him. The one on the left was bare-chested but the other had on some kind of chestplate that looked like it might have once adorned the front of one of the rusting hulks that littered the road.

_Heart and throat._ Lee chanted to himself as he lined up his shots. He would have to be fast and accurate.

He had not realized that the decision had been made until, upon tracking his intended targets for the tenth time, Lee fired his first shot directly into the oversized heart of the bare-chested super mutant. The crack of his sniper rifle shattered the quiet of the morning. Before the remaining super mutant had turned its grotesquely thick neck, Lee had put a round through its windpipe. It tottered sideways, bright red blood spurting from between thick fingers, as its companion fell to its knees. Both of them, despite their grievous injuries, wailed or gurgled to alert their comrades. The door they had first emerged from burst open to reveal a super mutant with twin bandoleers and an assault rifle in its hands. That one was followed by another with a long-handled axe in either hand. Three more gargantuan figures came barreling through the gate that led to the front yard of the building. Only one of them was armed and that was with a hunting rifle that looked like it might explode on the first shot. Lee smiled grimly and placed the missile launcher on his shoulder.

"**What happened?**" The mutant with the R91 roared in an impossibly deep voice.

The super mutant that had been heart shot raised a hand to point at Lee's position just as the Ranger fired the missile directly at the leader's chest. It was a terrifying sound for anyone to hear in the Wastes. There was nothing quite like the combination of whistle and shriek that a fired missile made. At this range, there was little that the super mutants could do besides widen their eyes just before the missile impacted in their midst. Lee whistled quietly once the smoke had cleared. There was nothing but meaty chunks left of the leader and the two injured Muties were as still as death. Unfortunately, the durability of super mutants was very much a reality. The others were already beginning to pick themselves off the ground with furious growls and shouts.

Lee obliged the nearest with a .308 round directly through the eye socket. He didn't wait to see the result and reloaded his rifle as quickly as he could.

_One empty. Two full. One in the well._

Lee picked up the missile launcher in one hand, groaning as a sharp pain flared through his back and side, and quickly scrambled down the mound. He stashed it in the shadows of a demolished wall and spun from cover into an open window frame. One of the steadier Muties left had picked up the assault rifle and was beginning to advance through the opening in the fence. Another pair of super mutants had appeared from around the corner at the front of the building. Lee fired a round into the bare chest of the new owner of the R91. He crumpled to the ground and the newly arrived super mutants opened fire with hunting rifles. Lee stood his ground and fired a round through the calmer Mutie's nose. Then the last round of his magazine sailed through the throat of the one that was now frothing at the mouth.

It was at that moment that four more super-mutants, the biggest wielded an actual mini-gun, burst forth from the interior of the building. Lee dropped down behind the cover of the thick stone wall and reloaded his rifle as the whir of the mini-gun preceded chunks of masonry being ripped from the walls around him.

_Two empty. One full. One in the well._

As soon as the barrage stopped, Lee popped up, sighted, and fired a round into the forehead of the mini-gun holder. Blood fountained from the bastard's forehead and Lee watched in amazement as he shook it off and raised the weapon again.

Lee turned and began to run.

_All part of the plan._

* * *

Rachel peered out of her hiding place when the sound of the mini-gun and the roars of the super mutants had faded somewhat. She could just make out the last of the super mutants disappearing over the rise to the north.

_Be safe, you crazy motherfucker._ Rachel thought a moment before Wolf gave them the signal to move out.

The three members of Echo scurried through the dilapidated buildings towards where Lee had stored her missile launcher. She threw her pack of ammo down next to it and shrugged at the looks she received.

"Even I'm not gonzo enough to shoot that fucker off in a building."

Rachel wrinkled her nose at the smell of the super mutants when they got close. When she and Wolf had encountered them in the Metro, there hadn't really been enough time to stop and smell the roses. There was plenty this time and she definitely was not enjoying it. They smelled like a combination of the worst body odor ever imagined and the foulest toxic waste dump in the world.

_I heard they don't get sick. I bet they don't ever wash._

"Finish them." Wolf gestured to the three super mutants that Lee hadn't quite managed to finish off.

Rachel could already tell they were healing because they all had enough sense to try to reach for the women. Thankfully the reach of their weapons were longer than the super mutant arms. A short burst from her R91 into each of their heads was enough to put them out of the game for good. She nodded at the door as she replaced her nearly spent magazine.

"I'll go in first. Give me thirty seconds and then come in after. Standard. Right, boss?" Wolf nodded as she and Evelyn posted themselves on either side of the door.

Rachel took a deep breath, turned the knob, and kicked the door in. She charged forward into a hallway lit by sources from doorways to the right and left only a dozen feet from her entrance. Her assault rifle was at the ready as she scanned the hall in front of her. It was quiet but she was expecting the place to be nearly empty.

Soft, muffled crying from the doorway to the left captured her attention. She went forward quickly but made sure to check the room on the right just in case it was a trap. That room was empty and she spun to advance into a room with a bunch of cages built into the walls.

_What the Hell kind of building was this place?_

The crying was coming from the cage that was nearest to the door and Rachel found that inside of it was a short woman in a dark red jumpsuit wearing a red bandana. Her skin was a shade darker than Lee's and she looked up at Rachel with wide, terrified brown eyes.

"Behind you!" she screamed and Rachel felt unbelievably strong fingers clamp around her skull.

Then she was flying backwards across the room. She hit the ground hard and slid on her back until she came to rest nearly at the opposite wall. A super mutant with armor of some sort on his chest turned to her with the perpetual snarl they all wore. Drool leaked down from his mouth onto the tarnished metal on his chest.

"Fuck you!" Rachel screamed and opened fire with her assault rifle from her supine position.

The rounds stitched a line up the metal chestplate, she knew a few had penetrated, but the thick material stopped far too many. Then the bastard put his forearm, which was protected by a manhole cover of all things, up to his face.

_You're a smart one, huh?_ Rachel snarled and shifted her aim to his lower limbs but even those were covered with thick metal. Fear began to seep through the usual battle-fury that fueled the Ranger when her mag ran dry.

The sound of a pair of MP5's firing on full auto was music to her ears. With a mighty bellow, the mutant turned and that was Rachel's chance. She dropped her R91 and scrambled to her feet. Her N99 pistol was out of its holster as she took a running leap onto the back of the Mutie. She could barely get her arm all the way around his neck but she managed to get a good enough grip to shove the barrel of her weapon into the base of his skull.

Rachel emptied half the clip before the Mutie finally toppled forward with the top of its skull blown completely away. The Ranger hopped off with trembling hands that she tried to still before anyone could see. It was just the adrenaline anyway but it was still embarrassing. She kicked the super mutant in the side to distract herself.

"Like I said," Rachel punted the faintly twitching body one more time, "fuck _you_."

"I think it's dead, Rach." Wolf's voice was dry and rough from the adrenaline being dumped into her body. Rachel knew that her own voice was probably a match at the moment. "Money, get that cell open. Rach, we're on the door."

Rachel retrieved her rifle, ejected the empty magazine, and slapped in a new one as she marched back to the door. The woman, Red if she wasn't mistaken, had begun sobbing quietly in relief. Wolf's lips were set in a grim line as she signaled for Rachel to post herself in the opposite doorway. Before Rachel had even settled into position, Evelyn was crying out.

"Got it!"

Wolf waved the engineer over to take her place and darted into the cage to administer first aid to Red. Rachel kept her gaze focused on the hallway that led deeper into the building. The trail of sticky blood that ran down the corridor did not escape her attention. It was unnerving that the only sounds, despite Rachel's fight with the armored Mutie, were Wolf and Red conversing. Then Evie let out a tiny squeak of delight and Rachel raised an eyebrow in her direction. The shorter woman pointed a delicate, dirty finger at a spot to the left of Rachel's doorway. A quick glance revealed what had so excited the engineer. There was a plaque that read 'Armory' on the wall. Rachel glanced into the room behind her and noticed that there was a solid-looking metal door behind the counter a few feet behind her.

"Red says that they dragged Shorty into the basement just a few minutes ago." Wolf's voice drew Rachel's attention back to the other side of the corridor. Wolf stood with an arm around Red's shoulders as the dark-skinned woman drank from her canteen. "She thinks that's where they go to... get them ready to eat. She doesn't know where they take them."

Rachel pointed at the trail of blood. "I've got a pretty good idea."

"We need somewhere to put Red. She's in no condition for a fight."

"Boss. There's an armory behind that door." Evie pointed behind Rachel. "I bet the Muties couldn't crack it. Give me a few minutes and I'll get in. We can lock ourselves inside and I can see what we can use."

"Good idea. Let's do it."

Rachel remained at her position while Wolf manned the doorway in the wall opposite the armory door. Red hovered around Evie as the engineer's fingers flew across the keyboard of the lone computer on the counter. True to her word, it only took a few minutes before the sounds of multiple locks disengaging filled the room. Evie and Red pushed the door in with quiet grunts of exertion.

"Wow." Rachel turned at Evie's nearly inaudible word and moved to take a quick peek.

Directly in front of the door was a vertical stack base for weapons. It was not full but there were two laser rifles in prime condition for the taking. A pair of metal lockers, the kind that pre-War people kept armor or clothes in, stood to the immediate right of the door.

"In you go." Wolf pushed Red and a gawking Evie into the room. "Grab as much as stuff as you think we can carry and try to fit Red for some armor if they have any. If we're not back in fifteen, we're not coming back."

"You'll be back." Evie spoke with a kind of calm confidence that Rachel actually found reassuring.

_Wow. That little bitch really has come a long way!_

Wolf nodded and Rachel gave Evie the thumbs up as they pulled the door closed. The locks reengaged themselves and then there were just the two of them.

"Double-time it but don't get too reckless." Wolf cautioned as Rachel led the way out into the dimly lit hallway.

The trail of blood was disgustingly easy to follow, the stench that steadily built as soon as they followed it to the left at a intersection was also a good indicator of the correctness of their path, and it ended in a stairwell that led down. Rachel growled in a mixture of horror and fury at the mesh nets she saw in a room to the left of the stairwell. It was hard to see what they contained but, from the smell alone, she could make a very good guess. There was another bag on the first landing down, where the stairs turned right, and a rotting head silently screamed at her through the netting.

_Motherfuckers._

Rachel grit her teeth as her assault rifle led the way down the stairs and to a wooden door that seemed as though it was barely holding itself together. She rested the length of her rifle against her right shoulder and eased the door open with her left. The hall that she entered was even more dimly lit than the upper levels. The lone working overhead flickered ominously, casting moving shadows in every corner, as Rachel eased her way into the basement. There was a doorway a few meters down the hall on the left. She posted beside it and swung into it, rifle at the ready, as soon as Wolf was in position beside her.

It seemed to be a shooting range— she could recognize that much— but the buzzing of normal flies and the human-shaped objects hanging from the ceiling told her all she needed to know.

"Clear." She called quietly after a quick sweep of the room.

The blood trail led to the end of the hall and turned left into a larger room that had support pylons scattered around its perimeter. It was surprisingly uncluttered in the middle and the trail was easy to see. Wolf came to her side and signaled for her to check the open entryway to what looked like an open room on the opposite side from the tracks they followed. Echo's leader rushed over to the other and disappeared inside. Rachel discovered a room with several lockers, a bench, and a couple of bathroom stalls but no super mutants. She was relieved to discover that Wolf had also not found anything.

"Fuck you, muto-freak!" A man's voice, shrill with anger and fear, echoed through the underground passages.

"**You loud and make much noise! You so small too!**"

Wolf and Rachel posted on either side of the doorway where the trail led. Wolf signed for Rachel to go first and then gave her the go-ahead. The taller Ranger swiveled around the frame and went to one knee in a completely unlit hallway. There was a light source coming from the far end, what could have been flames, and outlined in them was the unmistakably silhouette of a super mutant.

Clutched in the Mutie's hand was a child-like figure that squirmed and spit curses.

"**Stupid little man!**" The super mutant tossed the human away with a snarl. "**I chop your head off! See if you talk then!"**

The super mutant raised a massive cleaver in its hand and Rachel fired a short burst from her rifle directly at its armpit. Her shots clustered neatly in her target but the only effect was the Mutie roaring in anger.

"**That hurt!**" He turned in Rachel's direction and she saw a sight that was quickly becoming bothersome.

_When did they all start wearing fucking body armor?_

Wolf came in behind her and fired her SMG right over Rachel's head. The rounds didn't seem to even register as sparks flew off the metal protecting the Mutie's torso. Rachel shifted her aim to the mutant's head and got off a single three-round burst before it heaved the cleaver directly at her. Wolf pushed her down as she dove out of the path of the deadly blade and thunderous footsteps caused Rachel's heart to seize.

_Get the fuck up!_

Rachel made it to her feet, rifle at her shoulder, just in time to catch the sole of a foot that was almost as big as her chest right in the gut. The force of the hit threw her off her feet and into the wall behind her. She hit her head hard enough to see stars and, just when they were clearing, she saw a dirty yellow-green hand reaching for her. Her right hand came up to fire the rest of her mag directly into the mutant's drooling, ugly face but there was no weapon in it.

"Fu—"

That huge hand wrapped around her neck, while still managing to cover part of her mouth, and her feet suddenly left the ground.

"**That hurt!**" The super mutant roared so forcefully that long strings of spit actually landed on Rachel's armor.

_Not as much as this_.

The twin clicks of Rachel's sawed-off drew the mutant's gaze down just slightly and the Ranger fired both barrels at point-blank range. A shower of gore covered the walls, the ceiling, and Rachel. Her support gone, Rachel dropped the couple of feet to the floor directly onto her butt, and she saw Wolf step onto the super mutant's chest and fire a couple of bursts into its mangled skull to finish the job.

"I've gotta wonder how thick their frontal bone is," Wolf mused as she helped Rachel to her feet.

"Pretty fucking thick, I think," Rachel answered as she scooped up her assault rifle.

The two Rangers hurried down the hall and found themselves in a macabre kitchen. Blood, most long-dried but some disturbingly fresh, covered every surface that they could see. Rusty blades of all sorts rested on the counter and an oven, fueled by wood if the smell was any indication, was the source of the flames. A open cupboard across from them was filled with even fresher body parts that had a horde of tiny insects buzzing around them.

"Who the fuck are you!" The male voice from before came from the figure huddled in the far corner of the room. "Why am I even asking? Let's get the fuck out of here while the gettin's good!"

The man that stepped out of the shadows was as short as Evie but he had decent muscle-tone for a Waster. He was clad in a pair of torn pants and not a stitch else. It looked as though the Mutie had wanted him naked before dinner but his mouth had interrupted those plans. His chest had several yellowish bruises on it and there was a huge lump on his forehead. Otherwise, he looked perfectly fine.

"We're Reilly's Rangers. We came from Big Town." Wolf told him and tossed him an extra bottle of water. "Drink up while we go. Rach."

"Right, boss." Rachel said as she slotted fresh shells into her sawed-off.

The trio made the trip back upstairs at a slow jog. Wolf called out and banged the 'all-clear' code that the Rangers used on the door to the armory. When Red and Evie pulled open the door, the two Big Towners had a joyous reunion. Wolf and Rachel stared, gap-jawed, at what Evelyn had done. Red was dressed in the same kind of armor that Rivet City security wore, complete with helmet, and had a duffel bag across her back that was full to the brim with ammo boxes. Rachel knew the shape of the things even if she couldn't believe Evie had fit so many in there. Clutched in one of Red's hands was a laser rifle and on her hip a laser pistol. The Ranger engineer had the second laser rifle in a sling across her chest and a makeshift bandoleer of magazines for her SMG across the ammo vest that was stuffed. All six of the grenade clips on her ammo vest were also full.

"I've got duffel bags for you guys too!" Evelyn chirped cheerfully. "And there's a set of SWAT armor that I think might fit Shorty in here!"

Wolf and Rachel took one look at each other before giving in to wild peals of laughter.

"What the fuck's so funny?" Shorty muttered as Evie shooed him into the armory.

"Money."

That was the only answer Rachel could come up with.

* * *

_EndNote:_

_I took some liberties with what was in the armory in the police station. That was mostly because it's odd to me that the super mutants would have enough general know-how to lock the door with a computer. So I figured that you're supposed to assume that no one's been in there in a long time. Maybe since just shortly after the War. So, logically, the gear in there would be unmaintained by not rotting as bad as it is in the game. But that's just my logic._

_Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed._


	18. XVIII

The adrenaline started to wear off halfway to the rendezvous point near the shattered highway that Echo quad had passed to get to the super mutant hideout. Every deep breath caused pain like a tightening band across Rachel's upper back and sternum. She didn't think that there was internal damage but she could tell that there would be a colorful assortment of bruises when she removed her armor. Fatigue was also beginning to set in, especially since deep breaths caused moderate pain, but she didn't let that slow her any as she led the way.

_Those two look like fish out of water even with all that shit Evie loaded them down with._

Evelyn had fitted Shorty with another set of the armor that Red was wearing, give or take a few adjustments. It wasn't quite as heavy-duty as the Rangers gear, since Evie had said it was only meant for civilian use, but it was a damn sight better than most raider gear she had ever seen. Shorty had been given an MP5 and an N99 for his weapons but had been fitted with a backpack just like Red's. This was also stuffed with ammo in addition to several pre-War manufacture Johnson & Johnson .32-caliber pistols. Thankfully, the smallest Ranger had realized that she needed her hands free and only given her a small bag of ammo she could fit into the pack she left outside. Red and Shorty, on the other hand, were required to carry two weapons cases apiece. Two of them contained broken down DKS-501 .308 rifles, one a disassembled U.S. Combat Systems combat shotgun, and the final had about fifteen cylindrical grenades with lightning bolts etched into them.

The journey to the rendezvous had been quick and easy except for a moment just before they had left the town limits. Shorty and Red had thrown themselves to the ground as a thunderous explosion shook the hot afternoon air. Rachel knew that it was just a series of grenades going off close together and Lee had taken some with him. They had moved off to the faint sounds of a minigun and various small arms fire.

_He's alright._ Rachel frowned at the kernel of worry that had taken root in her chest. _He'll probably be waiting for us under the highway and asking what took us so long._

Lee was not waiting for them when the group reached their destination. Rachel removed her pack with a sigh and leaned back against the dusty, ancient-smelling rock of a support. Her eyes and head never stopped their obsessive scan of the horizon in all direction; for signs of Lee as well as danger approaching.

"Drop your packs. Get behind some cover. We have to wait for Walker." Wolf instructed their charges. Both Big Towners gratefully removed their heavy backpacks and sandwiched themselves in the rubble around the break. "Money, watch the north. Moon, east. I'll get the west. We'll both get south."

Rachel nodded and found herself a position where she could sit that faced a southeastern direction. There wasn't a damn thing moving besides the occasional bit of debris fluttering along in a sudden wind eddy. This was why most of the people that spent their entire lives safe in their little secret towns and underground bunkers. During the day, the Waste just seemed like a hot, dusty hellhole. Anyone that lived out here knew that it wasn't the case. Life always found a way, even when man bombed the planet nearly back to the Stone Age, and there was plenty of it to be found. Of course, most of it wanted to use you as nourishment for its own survival.

Movement, slow and ponderous, caught her attention when she directed her gaze in a more southerly direction. The unmistakably shape of a super mutant carrying something over its shoulder was easy to spot now that it had topped a rise in the land. It was easy to lose someone close to the riverbank since the land dipped and rose a lot before finally descending to the riverbed. Rachel removed her binoculars from her chest pouch and quickly focused on the mutant.

_Goddamnit._ Rachel magnified on the Mutie's shoulder. _Of fucking course, it's a person._

"Hey, boss!" Rachel called. "We've got a situation." Wolf was at her side in quickly and Rachel handed over her binoculars. "See it?"

"Yes." Three more shapes appeared out of the countryside and followed the leader towards the dilapidated church a couple hundred feet west of the road. "It looks like the rest of them are carrying bags full of body parts."

"You think they came from Big Town?" Rachel asked in a low, conversational tone as opposed to a whisper.

"No." Wolf handed Rachel the binoculars. "That person had a brown Mohawk and nobody has that hairstyle in that color."

Wolf bit her bottom lip and took a deep breath. Rachel could see the indecision on her face and hated the way it made her feel.

_Fuck it._

"You want to go get her?" Rachel offered and Wolf looked at her with wide golden-brown eyes. "Don't look at me like that. Shit. I figured, since we're saving every asshole out here, why not go for trips, huh?"

Wolf's lips curved into a small smile. "Yeah. Why not? Keep watch. See if you can come up with something. I'm going to go talk to the rest."

Rachel observed the quartet of super mutants as they made their way to the church. Two of them went inside the building that she could see into because the walls could barely be called walls, while the other pair wandered around a haphazard defensive perimeter. To the Ranger's delight, the Muties walked far too close together to cover both sides of the perimeter at once. She could use that to her advantage. Both were armed with pathetically maintained hunting rifles and, much more dangerous in Rachel's mind, sledgehammers and fire axes slung across their backs. She could only imagine how many bodies had been broken to pieces by those tools.

Wolf was back by the time the Muties had completed one loop. "Any ideas?"

"Yeah." Rachel lowered her binoculars and looked at Wolf's mud-streaked face as another drop of sweat formed another trail in the dust that covered them all. "I think I can get most of them in one go. You wait back here with the others. I can take 'em."

Wolf looked extremely skeptical but she nodded her head and slapped Rachel on the shoulder. "I know you're sore. I can tell by the way you're _not_ breathing but I trust you. If you get into trouble, just try to hold them back. We'll be there before you know it."

"Right." Rachel stood and went back to put together her missile launcher. A quick check to make sure all her weapons had full ammo loads, which led her to quietly cursing the fact that she only had two more full mags for her assault rifle, and gathered a piece of half-rotted canvas from the pile of debris they sat on. In less than two minutes, she was ready to go. "Be right back." She winked at Wolf and Evie before setting off at a jog towards the church.

On the way, Rachel stopped to pick up a rusty can. She had used this trick on raiders before and Muties were generally just as stupid. The Ranger slid to her belly, just like Lee had shown them all, and slithered her way up the rise towards the church. Old gravestones blocked her way but they also offered her cover from the squinting super mutants as they made their patrol route.

"Fuck you! When I get outta here, I'm gonna cream ya!" A woman's voice suddenly broke the relative quiet and the Mutie coming around the corner chortled hoarse laughter to himself.

"**You fighter!**" The super mutants voice was full of dark delight. "**You make good fighter after you get Turned! Haha!**"

_Turned?_ Rachel's face twisted. _Is that where they come from? Is that why they take some people and kill others? It doesn't matter 'cause all these fuckers are gonna die._

Rachel silently gathered a small pile of rocks together near a gravestone and pulled the pin on her grenade, but rigged the clip so that it would only come off when someone disturbed the can that she placed on top of it at the head of the pile. She very carefully covered the rocks and slid back to a safe distance.

_C'mon. You can do it._

Rachel placed her hands around her mouth and concentrated for a moment before she "threw" her voice in the direction of the pile. It was a skill that she had mastered before she left the Clan but it had been a long time since she needed to use it.

"Help me! Somebody help me!" The voice near the rocks would be tinny and desperate but she hoped it would be audible to a Mutie.

Her ploy worked when one of the Muties hunched his shoulders and paused to listen.

"Please! It hurts!"

"**I hear you!**" The Mutie sounded awfully proud of itself as it bounded towards the trap with long, lumbering strides.

_That's it, you fucker. Come to mama._ Rachel's lips pulled themselves back in a silent snarl as the Mutie flung the canvas off the pile of rocks and tipped the frag grenade out of its can.

The Mutie had a few seconds to scratch its head at the pile of rocks before noticing the grenade that had practically rolled to a stop at its left foot. Rachel ducked her head as the explosive detonated. Small pebbles fell around her but she had taken partial cover behind a dip in the land. When she raised her head, she saw that the Mutie had sprawled across the headstone and crushed it beneath its bulk. His right leg was missing the foot and most of the calf while the left leg was a bloody mess. Small clusters of wounds on its lower abdomen bled freely.

"**It hurts!**" The Mutie screamed with animal pain.

The two super mutants in the church came barreling out, fireaxe and sledgehammer in hand, as the other guard ran around the corner with his hunting rifle at his hip. The trio gathered around their grievously injured comrade and immediately began arguing.

"**What happened!**" The apparent leader, who had a string of huge canines across his neck, snarled at the writhing mess on the ground.

"**I don't know!**"

"**You step on mine, dummy!**" The other guard questioned as he scratched his head.

Rachel pushed herself up to one knee, set the missile launcher on her shoulder, sighted, and fired all in the space of thirty seconds. None of the super mutants had time to even flinch as the rocket impacted in the torso of the leader. The explosion was deafening and gore seemed to fly everywhere. Rachel was getting to her feet, ears still ringing, and only force of habit caused her to scan her surroundings as the super mutant swung his sledgehammer at her head.

The Ranger dove back to the ground, abandoning her missile launcher, and narrowly avoided the blow. A dead tree to her right was not so fortunate and a huge crater caused the tree to noticeably tilt. Rachel rolled to her feet, R91 in hand, and shredded the super mutants knees with several short bursts. Her sawed-off was out of its holster before the mutant had hit the ground. She tracked the movement as if everything was happening in slow motion and let it have a barrel to the face as it crashed forward. She was still about twelve feet away and, even though it would have definitely killed a human at that range, the shot barely penetrated the Muties thick frontal bone. Rachel had just wanted to distract it enough that it wouldn't try to grab her as she leaped onto his back and placed the barrel of her sawed-off directly at the base of his skull. She fired and was once again showered in thick gore as the back of the Muties head turned to mush.

_The fucker's _still _twitching!_ Rachel spit to the side and drew her N99.

Two more rounds finally caused the after-death convulsions that Rachel was used to. With a loud groan, now that no one was around to hear it, Rachel stood and waved her hands wildly in the air.

"Hey, is anybody out there! Help a girl out, would ya?" The captive's voice was throaty, like she smoked far too many cigarettes a day, and instantly annoyed Rachel.

The pale Ranger sighed and made her way into the interior of the ruined church. As she expected, most of the surfaces had blood stains of varying ages. The most recent was the slowly spreading puddle in one corner from where the dismembered bodies of the Muties latest victims lay. Surprisingly, a number of benches stood in front of a podium where Rachel entered. At some point, the roof had partially collapsed but the Muties had cleared away the rubble.

"Over here, dolly!" The woman's voice came from the left and Rachel realized that the Muties must have thrown a canvas sheet over her before they came outside. She had somehow managed to stick her Mohawk'd head out and was staring at Rachel with huge brown eyes that looked like they were lined with tar or something. "You wanna hurry up before those big fuckers get back?"

Rachel moved over to her and threw off the sheet. "They won't be back."

Rachel could just tell that she wasn't even eighteen just from looking at her nearly naked body. The girl was covered in bruises. Some of them were fresh but there were a lot of them that were faded and nearly healed. There was also a long, thin scar that ran nearly horizontally along her middle. A pair of dice had been crudely tattooed in black ink on the side of her neck. She was scrawny, typical for the Wastes really, and the Ranger could plainly see her ribs. Surprisingly, the girl's breasts were full and the nipples looked kind of puffy.

_I bet she's pregnant._ Rachel smirked as she bent down to undo the primitive wire-ties that the Muties had used to hold her. _Well, I just saved a pregnant woman and killed five Muties. Let's see Lee beat that._

Rachel grimaced at the sight of the girl's hands and feet though. The damn Muties had cut off the circulation and the extremities were already swelling. There would probably be scars on her wrists and ankles for the rest of her life. The girl gave out a strangled cry of relief when the first ties came off her wrists. She started shaking out her hands and grimacing quietly from the pain. Once the ankles were untied, actual tears started to flow down her cheeks. She didn't cry though and Rachel was impressed.

"You do good work, Piernas."

Rachel didn't let out a shout of surprise but she did shoot to her feet and turn to find Lee with his back to her as he watched out for the others while they entered the church. Wolf immediately went to the slowly writhing woman and began to examine her. No one commented on her half-nude state.

"Goddamn. This thing is heavy. How the hell do you carry it?" Shorty bitched as he huffed his way to Rachel with her missile launcher in his arms.

"Thanks." She said as she took the heavy weapon. Red handed Rachel's pack over with a nod. "Hey, Lee. What took you so-" Rachel's question died in her throat when Lee turned back to her. The left side of his mouth and jaw were a swollen lump of flesh. His left eye was bloodshot and looked as though he would have a shiner in a few hours. "What happened?"

"I fell down a hill." Lee shrugged. "It happens."

Evie perked up from where she was examining several crates and ammo boxes that were scattered around the place. "Lee led those bastards right to a giant radscorpion hole! That's how he got away. They're probably still fighting!"

Red and Shorty, after some direction from Wolf, had placed themselves in watch positions at opposite ends of the church. Rachel couldn't help but notice the wide-eyed glances they kept casting at her and Lee.

"What's your name?" Wolf asked the girl as she helped her sit up.

Rachel sat on one of the benches and began reloading her weapons.

"Dice." She laughed lightly at the looks that Shorty and Red sent her way. "Because I'm good with 'em."

_With names like Red and Shorty, they really don't have room to talk._

"Did they get your entire family?" Wolf asked gently as she felt along the former captive's back.

"Yeah." Dice winced as Wolf probed a particularly sore spot. "They, uh, caught us when we were out scavin'. That's them over there." The girl pointed towards the bags of body parts without looking. "Can we lay a patch or are ya gonna write a book?"

"You want to come with us?" Wolf asked in a voice that probably sounded neutral to everyone else but Echo. They knew her well enough to detect the suspicion in her voice. "You don't even know us."

"I know you cats saved my ass. You've got cool ass threads and you totaled those fuckin' Mutos." Dice shrugged. "A girl could do worse for new friends."

"Mmmm." Wolf pointed to a pile of what was recognizable as armor. "See if you can find something to fit you. We're moving out in five minutes."

"Right on, dolly."

When the girl stood, Rachel grimaced at the stained and stiff condition of her underwear. Of more pressing concern were the tell-tale track-marks on both arms. It was impossible to tell what the girls drugs of choice were just from the tracks though.

_Hell, she could shoot Pyscho into one arm and then med-X in the other. Then chase it all down with a puff of Jet._

Wolf and Rachel shared a look as Dice picked through the bloody armor. She finally settled on a pair of brahmin leather pants with armor plates sewn onto the thighs and bone shinguards that had to be tightened with wire. The chestplate of formerly high-end leather armor protected her torso. Curiously, Dice slid on a gauntlet that extended to the forearm where it flared out to provide a space to slide a circular metal cap through a pair of loops. The woman tightened it expertly and then slid on a fingerless glove onto her opposite hand.

"Ah! I knew they wouldn't throw my baby away! Come to mama!" Dice exclaimed with a sort of malicious delight as she threw herself into a pile of equipment on the other side of the room. She emerged with a long blade, probably two and a half feet of steel, with a bone handle. Dice held it up with both hands and laughed devilishly. When she stopped, she turned to Wolf with a questioning gaze. "Can I get a heater?"

Wolf shrugged, "Shorty."

Shorty dutifully retrieved a .32 pistol from his pack and handed it to the strange girl.

"What the fuck am I supposed to do with this?" Dice exclaimed in disgust.

"Shoot them in the head." Wolf's voice was deadly serious but Rachel could detect the faint sarcasm in her facial expression. "We don't have time to fit you for an ammo belt or a pouch. Shorty, give her enough rounds for two reloads. If you need more than that before we get back... well, you probably won't need a gun ever again." Dice just stared at Wolf as Shorty counted out the rounds from an ammo box and handed them to her. "It looks like you're ready. Let's go."

_Funny how Dice managed to pick up the torso of a set of leather armor with loops designed to hold that fucking sword. Yeah, we'll have to watch this bitch._

* * *

The young woman had never had a last name. She had always been Georgia Pine, daughter of Texas Jack and Alabama Jenny. Georgia could recite her family back to the War; even the extended family that had stayed with her original group. It had always struck her as strange how much value Townies, as her group of Travelers had called anyone who wasn't a Traveler, put on having a last name. As though that made their familial bonds stronger. In her experience, even living among a group of Townies for the last few months, last names meant absolutely jack shit. She could tell that all of the couples loved each other, Travis and Betty loved each other every other night, but there was very little agreement among either of them. It was always a constant struggle for dominance. At least, that was the way it seemed to Georgia. There was none of the comfortable familiarity that everyone among Georgia's people had shared with each other regardless of their last names. Every member of her Traveling clan had known their place in the hierarchy and acted accordingly to keep the clan alive.

_Fat lot of good that did us._ Georgia thought bitterly and bit her lip to keep her concentration on the keeping watch.

Georgia had set herself up on the slight hill overlooking the bridge that led north of the river. A light cloak, altered to blend in with the dusty ground, covered her entire body except for a far-seer that she held to her right eye. She was supposed to be keeping an eye out for the strange group of people that called themselves Reilly's Rangers Echo Quad. It was really a mouthful and Georgia was once again glad that people never seemed to expect her to talk much once they knew where she was from. The scout held no illusions about Echo's chances of returning. Her clan had always avoided super mutants as vigilantly as they avoided heavily irradiated water.

_It's too bad, too. I actually like them and they all seemed so... with it. I never saw anybody move like Walker. He's even better than Matt talked about. I actually think Otis and Vernon are afraid of Rachel and I know Lisa's terrified of Wolf now. Money's a genius and they're all so damn good-looking._ Georgia frowned in consternation. _Why the Hell do I even care if they're good-looking?_

The former vagabond knew why she cared. It was just weird that one man could be so lucky as to be in a team with three beautiful women. Even weirder, Walker didn't even seem to realize how envious the other men were whenever they thought no one could see then ogling one of the Ranger women. Georgia could tell that it bothered all of the other women but she had never really cared how pretty men found her compared to other girls. The way they all interacted was strange, too. There was the sort of familiarity that Georgia had missed living with the Townies but there was also an underlying tension between all of them that she had picked up on. Reading Townies body language had been an important skill among her clan, it helped them avoid being cheated, and she was passable at it. Georgia had picked up on a kind of longing that The Walker exuded whenever he glanced at each member of his quad but what shocked Georgia was how each returned that longing. To top it all off, there was an even more intense invisible interaction between Walker and Money; in addition to one between Moon and Wolf. She would bet all the ammo in her ruck that those pairs had ended up bumping pelvises.

_I think they all love each other, one way or another. _Georgia sighed. _Better to die with loved ones._

Before the ache, which was slowly fading as time passed, could surface in her heart, a familiar figure walked into view a few hundred feet from the bridge.

_Slap me on the puss and call me Daddy-O. They made it!_

Georgia watched as Walker stopped the party at the bridge, scanned the area with his binoculars, and then waved them forward across the bridge. There seemed to be more than what was expected and a quick count confirmed it. She wondered who the extra person was but there was no way to tell since she didn't even know what Red and Shorty looked like. The scout stood, putting away her far-seer and shouldering her hunting rifle, before skipping down the rise to meet the returning heroes.

"Geor'cha." Lee mumbled through what sounded like a mouth full of rocks as his group approached her.

Georgia winced slightly as she saw the swollen side of Walker's face. It explained his difficulty speaking. She raised her eyebrows at the amount of gear they all carried. The foursome had left with light packs and returned with twice as much. That was not including the armor that two of the rescued wore. It looked pre-War and patch-free. The girl next to Money was dressed like a down-on-her-luck merc and would fit in better than the other two.

"Stay close, Dice." She heard Money tell the girl with the high Mohawk. "There's a sentry bot but it won't fire as long as you stay close. I'll get you scanned into its FoF registry as soon as I see it."

"Have they got all the defenses set up, Georgia?" Wolf asked as she tipped her helmet with the red cross on the front back to better see.

Georgia nodded and waved for them to follow her back to Big Town proper.

She heard someone ask, in an overly loud whisper, "Is she mute or somethin'?"

"Fuck no." Moon snorted. "That bitch just keeps her trap shut almost as good as Lee."

_Yeah, Moon. Some of us don't feel the need to blather on like an idiot._ It was a good thing that none of them could see her face because the amused smirk that appeared on it would have given her away.

"Holy shit!" Vernon exclaimed when Georgia and Lee first came around to the bridge leading into Big Town.

Money and the girl called Dice stopped a few feet away, where the sentry bot stood, while the rest filed across the bridge. The taller figure in the black armor hugged the shorter one to them.

"We made it, Shorty. We really made it." The woman removed her helmet to reveal a red bandana and a dark brown face.

_Now I know who they are but who's this Dice girl?_

"Red?" Dusty actually stood from his chair though his legs were unsteady for sitting in the same position for more than twelve hours. "Shorty?"

"We made it!" Red burst into tears as soon as she and Dusty embraced.

Shorty, who had revealed a huge lump on his forehead after removing his helmet, stood awkwardly to one side and patted Red on the back.

"They're back!" Little Brucie shouted from across the compound and Georgia smiled as the boy ran to them with his arms waving frantically above his head. "Aunt Moon! Aunt Moon!"

Moon, to Georgia's surprise, actually bent slightly to scoop the boy up in one arm and spin him around. Brucie laughed in delight and hugged her tightly around the neck.

"Ack! Easy, you little bastard! A Mutie almost choked my ass out today and you're gonna finish the job!" Moon actually grinned and didn't put Brucie down as the inhabitants of the town emerged from their various workplaces to see what the commotion was all about.

"There ain't no stupid Mutie alive that could kill you! You could probably kill a Deathclaw!" The statement, spoken with all the naivety of youth, seemed to please the tall Ranger.

"Stupid! Deathclaws ain't real!" Anna sounded cheerful even when scolding her playmate. She looked up at Walker with wide eyes. "What happened to your face?"

"I fell when a few Muties were chasing me." Georgia was astonished at the matter-of-fact tone that the man took. Most hunters that she had ever known would die before admitting to such a thing as simple clumsiness. "Don't worry. I'm fine, Little Anna."

"Did you kill those stupid Muties!" Anna's face scrunched up in an unfamiliar scowl as she crossed her small arms beneath her chest.

"No, but I don't think they're very happy right now. They had to fight a giant radscorpion. Mas grande. Biggest one I ever saw."

Moon, still carrying Brucie and now being slapped companionably on the back by Vernon, glanced over at Walker. "Being modest again, Lee? Don't believe that shit. This crazy sonofabitch had more than half a dozen Muties up his ass, one with a fucking minigun, and managed to lead them into a radscorpion trap without getting dead."

"That sounds a little like that one story about Tully the Scorpion King." Vernon nodded but then frowned. "Except that that was the last story about him 'cause that was King Scorp's hole and him and all the raiders that were on his ass bought the farm."

"Exactly." Money nodded and finally put a squirming Matty down. "It's the kind of shit mercs talk about. I bet when we get back to Megaton, the story'll already have Lee riding that fucking radscorpion while shooting his Telly in one hand and smoking a cig in the other."

Walker shrugged. "I don't smoke and King Scorp's just a story."

"Fucking details."

"Listen up!" Song shouted over the increasingly loud and happy celebration. "I know you're all happy to see each other but it's not over and we've got wounds that need tending to!" Once Song was sure that she had everyone's attention, she continued. "Georgia, I want you to go back and keep a watch on the north. I expect the Muties to come back at us. If not today, then tomorrow." That was met by angry, frightened shouts from Lisa and Betty while Brucie practically squealed in excitement. "I told you that it was a possibility. We'll keep watch and hopefully we'll have a surprise for them if they don't hit us too soon. I know we're all tired but we've got work to do and I need everyone for it." Song took a deep breath and then began issuing further orders. "Vernon, you're on weapons detail. We've brought back a shitload. I want it inspected, cleaned, and ready for use ASAP. Otis, I want you in the hide facing east. I don't want those scavs up our asses when we're sorting out the Muties. The rest of you, get back to working on the defenses."

"And what are you going to be doing?" Lisa asked with narrowed eyes.

_I always thought the woman loved being in charge too much and now it's plain to see._ Georgia studied the square-faced, heavy-jawed woman for a moment. _Probably intimidated by all the women with the Walker. Come to think of it, she gives women a lot more shit than she does men._

Song gestured at the blood-splattered Rangers. It had been hard to see with all the road dust covering the group. "I'm going to go and patch up our hurt, if it's okay with you, Lisa. And I need to check out Dice to make sure she doesn't have anything you guys can catch."

Georgia's sharp hunter eyes noticed the way the woman with the huge blade strapped to her back cringed very slightly at Wolf's words. Dice didn't look sick but Georgia knew that there were invisible things a person could spread that were deadly. She had seen plague that wiped out entire families before and little signs of any sort to explain what had happened.

"Alright, let's get to it before company comes callin'!" Song clapped her hands and everyone started moving.

Georgia jogged back to her post, boots clacking hard on the funny stone that made up the pre-War roads, and settled beneath her cloak once again. She took a moment to ease her breathing and become as one with her environment. It was a handy skill to have in times when even the best hunter could become the hunted in an instant. Her rifle lay beside her within easy reach and her far-seer was clutched in one hand as she studied the horizon. Sentry work was boring to one that had spent her entire life on the move but it was a lot like stalking a molerat burrow until one of the skulking things poked it's whiskered head out. One part of her mind went over the landscape before her inch by inch, over and over again, while another part pondered the Rangers.

_I've never even heard of anyone storming a super mutant den and making it out alive. Let alone with a bunch of loot and freed captives. And they all acted so casual about it. Like it was just another boring day in the Wastes. And Moon was absolutely _drenched_ in blood. I knew she couldn't have been wounded with the way she was walking and talking but that was a _lot_ of blood. I bet everyone's just waiting to hear the damn story. Song or Money'll probably tell me how it really was. Moon's too likely to talk herself up and Walker always talks himself down. He probably doesn't even know how Matt, Lisa and the others talk about him when he's not around. How the hell did he get so damn popular? He's not that much older than me, I think. Even that one scav Matt trades with every now and then knows about Walker and what he did to the Red Hawk raiders._ Georgia shuddered. _Matt had thought he'd gone off and killed himself when he didn't show up the last year. I can understand it though._

"Georgia." The calm voice behind her snapped her out of her increasingly dark thoughts and she turned to find Walker striding up the hill behind her with a second .308 rifle in his arms. "For you. You're gonna need something heavier for the Muties. Don't go for the forehead. Nose, eyes, and throat are the best bets from the front."

Georgia nodded as Walker sat beside her and handed over the rifle. There was a moment where she did a quick double-take at the blue goop that had been smeared over the side of his face that was the most bruised. She assumed it was some kind of medicine but it looked very strange. She had handled a .308 before, her father's had been a coveted asset among her clan, and examined it with a critical eye. Finally, she worked the bolt and gave a satisfied nod of her head.

"Thank you, but I have nothing to trade." Georgia tried to hand back the weapon and Walker smiled.

"There is no trade, amiga. This weapon is to defend your home." Georgia frowned and he continued. "It's not a gift. You need strong weapons to protect your people."

"But this is you Rangers' loot. Salvage rights say it's all yours to trade." Georgia's eyes widened as a thought came to her. "I won't lay with you."

Now it was Walker's turn to frown as he mouthed the word 'lay'. Then he chuckled, much to Georgia's embarrassment, and held up his hands.

"That's not what I meant." Perversely, Georgia now felt a slight sense of _disappointment_. "We've taken the first pick of equipment. Money wanted one of the laser rifles and pistol, but she's leaving her other weapons behind. Rachel took a few grenades. And enough ammo, when we leave, to refill our pockets but there is far too much for us to carry all the way back to Megaton. Plus, you guys need it more than we will. Oh, here." Walker handed her a leather vest with pouches sewn along the sides of the chest. "For your mags." He produced four magazines out of his own pack. "I'll take your bandoleer and rifle back for you. That'll go into the community pot, too. I'm sure Kimba'll appreciate gettin' her hands on a real hunting rifle instead of a BB gun."

"Why are you doing this?" Georgia found herself asking as she slipped the vest and buttoned it over her coveralls top.

"Doing what?"

"Helping us." The hunter placed the magazines inside the ammo pouches and pressed down the snap-buttons. "Only family helps out family in the Wastes."

Walker studied the road leading into town for a minute before sighing and wiping at his forehead with the back of his left hand. "My family came here for a better life when I was 11. I was barely twelve when we got here and they all got killed. I spent four years survivin', learnin', just waiting to make them pay. After I did, I just wandered around. No real purpose. Didn't have no family left, just a bunch of people I could maybe call amigos. I asked myself what the fuck was I gonna do for the rest of my life. I could have settled down somewhere it's the same everywhere."

Walker sighed again and took a long drink from his canteen. He offered it to Georgia but she shook her head and waited for him to finish speaking. The man had a voice that was maybe not as low-pitched as most men but he spoke with this odd, rolling style that seemed to draw the ear.

"Like everywhere?" She prompted him as she too resettled herself with her new weapon and resumed her watch.

"Everybody looking out for numero uno. There should be a lot more people out here but there's not. How many little places have you seen that got wiped out by a plague or because they starved to death after they got raided one too many times?" Georgia shuddered as his words conjured up mental images she wished she could unsee. "The roads just ain't safe so it's risky to move away. The further you get from home, the less chance you'll live since you don't know anything about where you're at. I know you know all the dangers."

Georgia nodded. "We used to see slavers attack families looking for another place after they got hit by raiders one too many times. They never bothered us much after we killed a group and left their heads outside their little slaving town." She spit to show her feelings about those bastards.

"But you didn't help them because they weren't family." Walker nodded. "That's why we're doing it. All us Rangers feel like _everyone's_ worth it. And if we don't do it, who will?" The normally quiet man stood and clapped her on the shoulder as he did so. "Dusty'll be up in a couple of hours to relieve you. Don't fall asleep."

Georgia snorted to show her opinion of that statement.

* * *

Wolf and Red were scrubbing down, cleaning, and sharpening all the medical equipment that the Big Towners had managed to scavenge. It didn't amount to a whole lot but keeping keeping the gear as sterile as possible was something that her training as a nurse and then a combat medic had deeply instilled in her. Red had thrown herself into the task, after Wolf had given her an examination, and the two women worked in companionable silence over half a dozen buckets of water. Two were full of a Abraxo-water mix while the other two were just full of plain water for rinsing. They were working in the living room of the house, where the two could keep an eye on Timebomb and Shorty through the open doorway, and it was hotter than Hell.

_They really should build some shutters that they can open. Maybe they don't know how? I'll make that suggestion at the next meeting, but I'll definitely do something now._

Wolf stood and smiled at Red, who had removed her body armor as soon as she was inside the clinic, before she opened the front door that led to the street where the junkpile was. The air outside was not much cooler but it was most certainly fresher despite smelling like rust and stagnant water. After a few deep, slow breaths, Wolf turned and walked back to the opposite end of the house. She reached for the door only to have it yanked open to reveal the frequently stormy face of Lisa Brumfield.

"Lisa." Wolf nodded to the volatile woman and tried to hide the irritation she was feeling. "Leave the door open. It's stuffy in here. There something I can help you with?"

The Brumfield woman stared at Wolf in that slightly widened way that emphasized the clear blue color of her eyes. Wolf found it unnerving and more than a little infuriating since the woman just failed to understand that she couldn't bully Wolf.

"I know what you're trying to do." Lisa declared in a quiet, serious voice.

Wolf sighed and stretched her arms above her head. She had removed the upper portion of her Ranger armor and grimaced at the smell that briefly came from her armpits.

_When was the last time I changed this shirt? Two days ago? Guess I'd better use the spare and wash it before it starts getting stiff._

"And what exactly am I trying to do, Lisa?" Wolf asked patiently as she leaned against the doorframe.

"You think you're going to come in here, bat your eyelashes, save the day and have all of these stupid shitheads eating out the palm of your hand." Lisa folded her arms beneath her breasts and a laughable imitation of an intimidating growl issued from her pursed lips. "I'm not _havin'_ it, Songbird." The nickname was said in such a nasty, demeaning way that Wolf was taken aback for a moment. "I'm not letting you take over this town. You might have gotten to The Walker by spreading your legs but I'm—"

The rest of Lisa's sentence was cut off by a squawk of indignation as Wolf got a solid grip around the woman's lower jaw. Her fingers, made strong by years of work, squeezed mercilessly as she pulled Lisa into the house. Wolf spun the stunned woman around and pinned her gunhand behind her back as she marched her to the back of the house. As she passed through the living room, she gave a gap-jawed Red a reassuring smile, and proceeded through the back door. The Ranger pushed Lisa into the wall of the house while still maintaining a grip on her jaw.

"It's been a really long day, Lisa, so I'm only gonna say this once." Wolf leaned close enough so that her lips brushed the woman's ear. "I don't give a shit about being in charge of this fucking town or any of _your_ people. I'm just trying to save lives. Mostly these kids that don't have any idea how to survive out here and that includes _yours_. I know what it's like to lose kids. You keep pushing me, my quad... how long do you think your kid'll last out here?"

"It's your fault he's here!" Lisa managed through her clenched jaw.

"We're the reason he's alive!" Wolf let the other woman go and stepped back as she rubbed her jaw. "Once we've dealt with the Muties, we'll be on our way. But if I hear that you're tryin' to run roughshod over these kids...we'll be back and I won't be so friendly."

"Why don't I just put a bullet in ya, right now?" The click of the hammer of a .32 pistol added a certain eloquent exclamation to LIia's question.

Wolf turned with a wide grin. "You know the stories about The Walker. And I'm sure that you've heard some of what Rachel did at the police station and in that church. Pull the trigger if you want, but I guarantee I'll see you in Hell before the day's done."

Lisa swallowed thickly and disengaged the hammer of her weapon. "If you don't leave, like you said, I _will_ shoot you."

"I don't doubt it."

Lisa holstered her sidearm with a scowl full of malice. "And what about that bitch, Dice? She looks like a Raider and a junkie. We'll have to put a bullet in her before the week is done."

Wolf frowned. "What day is it?"

Lisa stared at her for a moment before muttering, "Tuesday, I think."

The Ranger quadleader shrugged. "Don't worry. I was planning on having a talk with her before the day's out. Maybe she'll actually listen to what I have to say. Are we done?"

Lisa spit out of the side of her pursed lips before storming past Wolf. With a weary sigh, the Ranger went back inside the clinic. She was tired, hungry, and nearly ready to abandon the town to its fate thanks to Lisa's incessant posturing. To her surprise, Red had finished cleaning the medical tools while she was away and was now placing them in a sterile metal drying box that they would place in direct sunlight. The dark-skinned girl pushed her glasses up when she raised her head to fix Wolf with a furrowed brow.

"Is she always like that?" Red asked and Wolf couldn't help the short bark of laughter that escaped her.

"Only with women she thinks are trying to take her place." Wolf sighed. "It's not my place to say but I get the feeling that very few of the people she brought with her actually _like_ her. So don't feel like you can't stand up to her just because her group's older. Okay?"

Red nodded thoughtfully and looked around the room. "You know, I never realized it, but this whole place isn't as clean as it should be if I'm supposed to be taking care of people. I think I'd like to make it that way."

"That's good but you need some sleep. I would have dosed you like I did Shorty if you hadn't started trying to make yourself useful." Wolf patted Red on her bare left shoulder. "Finish up here and then try to get some sleep, okay?"

"Yeah. Okay, Song."

Wolf tried to hide her wince as she headed into the clinic's basement to check on Otis' work on Big Town's armory. A massive table, probably ten by four, dominated the center of the room and a number of weapons were organized in columns across it. Six tall metal lockers had been moved into the basement and several of them were occupied by body armor. Ammo boxes were neatly organized by caliber and cartridge on a smaller table to the right of the lockers. Pegs had been placed in the far left wall and she could see that a pair of hunting rifles had been mounted on them. Otis', his bald head glistening with sweat, looked up at her and actually smiled. Whatever problem he had with Lee and Rachel, to a lesser extent, had not seemed to affect his like of Wolf. She smiled back to him as she stopped on the opposite side of the table.

"So, how are we looking, Otis?"

"Song, if I wasn' such an honorable bastard, I would take all'ah this loot and lay a patch quicker than you could spit." Otis shook his head with a chuckle. "Not countin' all the heat you Rangers are packing, plus everybody else, we're sittin' on maybe five thousand caps worth of shit. And that's low-ballin' it, big-time!" The man's blue eyes fairly sparkled with greed as he caressed the stock of a .308 rifle. "This is more ammo than a cell of Talon mercs is likely to have durin' a whole fucking _year_ and you bastards got it in less than a day! Un-fucking-believable. It really is."

"Otis, I do love listening to you wax poetic about caps, but we don't actually have _all_ day. So, a little concentration please?"

Otis chuckled and grinned to show off a mouth full of strong, off-white teeth. "Alright, alright. You wanna be all serious. I can do that." The former Talon merc coughed into his hand and straightened his posture. "Our current arms, not counting those already distributed to personnel, include one DKS-501 .308 rifle, four .32-caliber hunting rifles of varying manufacture, one USCS 12-gauge combat shotgun, one Remington 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, one sawed-off 12-gauge double-barrel shotgun, two N99 ten millimeter pistols, one H&K ten millimeter MP5, one USCS laser rifle, one USCS laser pistol, four .32-caliber sidearms, ten fragmentation grenades, twelve concussion grenades and fifteen EMP grenades."

Wolf restrained a laugh at Otis' speech and managed a straight face as she asked, "How are we for ammo?"

"We have one hundred and fifty-two spare .308 rounds with ten additional full magazines, two hundred and eight .32 pistol rounds but no speedloaders, one hundred and eleven .32 rifle rounds with twelve extra bolts, one hundred and twenty-two 12-gauge shotgun shells, two hundred and two ten millimeter pistol rounds with sixteen additional clips, one hundred and sixty-seven, ten millimeter SMG cartridges with seven extra magazines. And, last but not least, forty-three energy cells." Otis laughed and clapped his hands. "Like I fuckin' said, it's a goddamned goldmine!"

Wolf finally let out her own laughter and shook her head. "You really are a greedy sum'bitch, aren't you?"

"The creed is greed, as they say." Otis winked at her but then his face took on a serious demeanor. "Why'd'ya bring back that Dice girl?"

"You too?" Wolf sighed and leaned against the table. "They were taking her somewhere to do something horrible to her. She's a human being and that's all we knew."

"Okay, I can buy that, but why bring her back?"

"A woman alone on that side of the river? How long do you think she would have made it by herself? In case you hadn't noticed, there are a lot of things out there that would love to eat, fuck, cook, or just beat up, on someone like that. That's why us Rangers do what we do. How many times do I have to say it?"

Otis held up his hands. "Okay, Song, okay. Me and Vernon heard about some twelve-year old a few years back that was runnin' aroun' the north country with a big-ass blade she could barely lift when she wasn't fucked up on Psycho and Buffout. They said she got a pair of dice on her neck because she was lucky. Sound familiar?"

"Yeah, it does." Wolf twisted her head slowly from left-to-right with a groan. "I'll tell you what I'm going to tell her in a while. I don't give a shit what she did before since none of us have a grudge against her. If she does her part here, then she'll get a fair shake. And if the rest of you have a problem with that, we'll take her to Megaton and set her up there." Wolf turned to head back up the stairs. "Could you start thinking about what kind of weapons you think the Big Towners can handle? We need to get them rearmed with heavier stuff if they can handle it. I'll be bringing them back in a little while." Wolf looked back at Otis as her foot landed on the first step. "Thanks, Otis. I don't know what we'd do without you and Vernon."

"Oh, stop with that shit. I'll be blushin' like a virgin, you keep that up."

Wolf just smiled at him before she ascended the stairs. She was met at the top of them by a stern-faced Lee holding a bowl of broth in one hand and an obscenely large plastic cup of water in the other.

"I know you haven't eaten, Oro." Lee gestured towards the kitchen. "I'm going to sit and watch you eat and drink before you leave this house."

"Getting kinda bossy, aren't you?" Wolf asked with a tiny smile as she led the way to the kitchen. She was pleased to see that Red had taken her advice and was asleep on a mattress she had placed in the ruins of the bathroom.

"I'm your número dos, right?" Lee countered as they sat at the small table.

"True."

Wolf obediently ate the broth. It was actually more like she drank the surprisingly thick food and washed it down with the horrible tasting Big Town water. Lee sat quietly across from her and watched her eat with an intensity that caused a familiar tingle in her nether regions.

_All the shit we've been through and with him covered in anti-inflammatory gel, he still can make me horny just by staring. It's almost as bad as when I catch Rachel looking at my breasts or when _I'm_ looking at her ass._

Once she was done, Wolf leaned back and raised her eyebrows at Lee. "Was there anything else?"

"Do you think they'll hold together when we leave?" Lee's face was marred by frown lines as his gaze lowered to the tabletop.

"Honestly, I think it's very likely. Anna and Brucie love it here and I think that'll be the clencher for their parents. Lori's finally around kids her own age and I think that'll be good for her. Georgia's used to having a big family-group and she's definitely got it here. I'd be worried about Otis if it wasn't for Vernon. I think Otis might have gone freelance after getting booted out of Talon but Vernon just seems like he wants to settle down in one place. Be a part of something, you know. They might run into problems in a few years if they don't get more men that like women. Dice is the only one I'm not sure about. Otis thinks she was a Raider north of the Potomac and I suspect there's more than a little truth to it. I was about to go find her after I finished talking to you."

Lee nodded. "You sit. I'll tell her to come find you. Was there anything else you were going to do today?"

"I was going to take everyone down to Otis, one at a time, to get them a little more prepared for a super mutant attack." Wolf frowned. "Why?"

"You need some sleep. We all do, really. I don't know about you, but I'm about to keel over. I already got Rachel and Evie to lay down. I'm going to get Lisa to make sure everyone's got the best gear they can. She needs something to do besides bitch under her breath. After you talk to Dice, come to our spot. I'll be there and I'll come get you if I think you're taking too long."

"Why are you going to tell Dice to meet me though?" Wolf didn't even try to argue with her second-in-command since he was exactly right about her quickly rising state of exhaustion.

"It's always more intimidating when you get called to meet someone." Lee grinned and made a quick exit.

The wait was not very long thanks to the small size of the enclave. Wolf was not surprised that the girl, despite having been put to work finishing the contraption that Evie had come up with, was still carrying around the long blade she called 'Big Bastard' on her back.

"You wanted to see me, dolly?" Dice asked, removing the harness that contained her sword and placing it within easy reach of the chair she calmly sat in.

"Are you a raider?" Wolf put it bluntly and Dice stiffened before glancing around to see if she was being ambushed.

The tattooed girl chuckled nervously. "Why're you asking me a question like that?"

"Some of us have heard stories about you and Big Bastard. And they're all about a young raider with a pair of dice on her neck."

Dice's left eye ticked slightly as the grip on her left hand tightened around her sword. "Don't beat around the bush, baby. Lay it on me."

"I don't give a shit what you were before we found you in that church. What matters now is what comes after." Wolf leaned forward and locked eyes with Dice. "If you were in a gang, then you know how to survive out here. This town needs people like that. I'm offering you a chance to live like a human being instead of an animal. The only question is: can I trust you?"

Dice's eyes narrowed. "What's the catch? I figured maybe you had a bunch of Big Daddies that needed some fresh gash or somethin'. But it's gash-city around here. So there's gotta be some other kind of catch."

"There's only one catch. No drugs and you pull your own weight." Wolf chuckled snidely at Dice's shocked look. "C'mon, Dice. You're not stupid. You should have known I'd know track-marks when I saw 'em."

Dice laughed self-consciously. "It was the only way I could fight and then I just kept doing it. I can barely swing Big Bastard more than two or three times if I run out of Buffout for awhile."

"Have you gone through withdrawal before?"

"Three times." Dice looked queasy at the memory. "It's gotten worse the older I get though."

"That's because your body's more dependent on it. We can cook something up to ease the symptoms but, in a day or so, you'll probably be worthless for awhile."

"Do the others know?"

Wolf raised her eyebrows. "About you being a raider?" She continued at Dice's nod. "Some may suspect but I don't think they'll say anything as long as you don't go around trying to sell them out or eat them or anything." Wolf laughed loudly at Dice's look of disgust. "I shouldn't laugh but, just so you know, we rescued Brucie a couple of days ago from being roasted over an open fire by some raider wanna-bes. If you tell them you're one, I think some might jump to that conclusion."

"Man, you sure do use a lot of big words, dolly. I can barely keep up with ya and they always used to say I had the most jets out of the gang."

"That's what happens when you hang around Money. It rubs off on you." Wolf held out her hand to the younger woman. "So, what do you say, Dice. Can I trust you to be an upstanding member of this community?"

Dice studied the offered hand for a moment before taking it in a strong grip and shaking. "Anybody comes cruisin' for a bruisin', I'm gonna cream 'em, ya dig?"

"I dig." Wolf agreed but pulled Dice's hand towards her when she went to release it. "But I want you to dig this... if I find out _you_ started something, we'll be back and it won't end well for you. Do _you_ dig?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm with it. No need to have a cow. Shit."

"You do realize that I have just as much trouble understanding what the fuck you're talking about, right? What does me having a cow have to do with anything?"

Dice looked sheepish for a moment as she mumbled, "Well, that's the way the gang talked." Then she continued in a louder voice. "It means that you get excited."

"Oh, I see. Go get some sleep after this. You could use it after the day you've had."

Dice nodded, stood, reattached Big Bastard, and walked towards the exit. She turned in the threshold that led to the living room and gave Wolf an odd look.

"Yes?"

"Well, I was wondering." Now the girl was actually fidgeting. "Can I see your tits? I've never seen a dolly so stacked!"

Wolf laughed so hard that she thought she would rupture something.

"Well, you don't have to laugh!" Dice exclaimed and lightly kicked the doorframe. "I was just—"

Further remarks were halted by Wolf lifting her shirt and band to free her breasts.

_Why the Hell did I just do that?_ Wolf was mystified by her own actions until she saw the open-mouthed look of astonishment on Dice's face. _Well, I guess that's why._

Wolf fixed her band and lowered her shirt after a few seconds. Dice seemed rooted to the spot for much longer before shaking herself and giving Wolf a shaky grin.

"I never thought you'd actually do it. I fuckin' flipped!" Now Dice gave her a shrewd glance. "Do you like girls?"

"I'm not even going to answer that. But, if I did, you're way too young."

"Hey, I just turned fifteen! I've been having sex for two years!" Dice countered indignantly.

"I'm sure you have but that's still too young. I'm a weird old lady like that. Now go get some sleep, Dice. Tomorrow might be a busy day."

"As if I could sleep after that!" Dice grinned before sauntering away with a jaunty whistle.

_I think that girl's got a crush on me. That'll make it easier to keep her in line._ A year ago, Wolf would have been shocked at her thoughts but now it was simply a matter of practicality.

Wolf made sure to close the doors to the house before heading towards where the rest of Echo was bunking. Rachel and Evie were already asleep on their respective bags while Lee was just removing his ghillie. They nodded to each other while preparing for slumber. Wolf removed the lower armor pieces and settled down onto the bed in her camo pants. She removed her shirt and flopped onto her back. Lee, clothed in only his boxers, sighed from across the room.

"How did the meeting with Dice go?"

"She liked what I showed her."

* * *

_A/N: I normally don't like to make justification of story mechanics but I felt that the last scene might require a bit. In the FallOut world I envisioned, it would not be uncommon for women to become mothers at an early age. You will rarely see new mothers over the age of 20 because I feel that the accumulated exposure to ingested radioactivity would make it less and less likely to both conceive and carry to term. Thus, as soon as girls enter puberty, they are fair game just about everywhere you go. Wolf is simply peculiar in that she, personally, does not find anyone under 18 particularly attractive._

_Shout-out to my wonderful Beta__Moojuice Nne of the Mayonnaise. Thanks for keeping me straight, 'Juicy._


	19. XIX

Lee was up and braced besides the doorframe that led to the front room before he was completely conscious. The front door slammed back into place and a voice he only vaguely recognized mumbled something to itself with increasing volume.

"Fuck! Shit! Goddamnit! Fucking shit! Ack!" The last exclamation was caused by Lee spinning the person around so their back was against the wall with the blade of his knife against their throat. "Lee, it's Dice! What the fuck, Daddy-O!"

Lee shook his head and glared at the girl before backing off. "What is it?"

Dice was pale, her skin waxy, and her black-lined eyes were wide. The girl look terrified.

"The Muties are here, Lee! They're gonna pound our asses into chopped liver! Fuck!"

Lee tried to think of a phrase that she had used yesterday for this type of situation. He had noticed that she responded better to her own peculiar speech.

"Cool it, baby!" The barked words had the desired effect and Dice's eyes settled on his. Lee went to shake awake the others, starting with Wolf.

"They're here." That was all that Wolf needed to hear before she jolted awake.

"What's the situation?" Wolf asked before taking a swig of water to loosen her dry throat.

"They're coming from the north. Same road we took, dolly, and they are cruisin' for a bruisin'!"

Evie and Rachel were quick to catch on as soon as Lee had awakened them. All three Rangers started sliding into their armor as Wolf continued getting a sit-rep.

"How many?" Wolf asked as Lee handed her the chestplate of her own armor.

"Georgia said that the group comin' from the north's got at least six."

"How close are they?" Rachel asked as she pulled back the bolt of her assault rifle.

"They were at the bridge when Lisa sent me here."

The silent looks all four Rangers gave each other would have been comical under different circumstances. This time it was just horrifying.

"Fuck!" Wolf roared. "Move it out, on the double! Grab your weapons and let's move!"

Lee snatched his gunbelt from the air, thanks to a toss from Rachel, and then she threw his knifebelt right behind that. He grabbed his rifle from its place by his bedroll and gave it a quick once over that would have to do. Dice was rooted into place by the frenzy of practiced motion the Rangers had begun. Within a minute, they were pushing Dice through the door to the outside.

The first thing that Lee noticed was how lovely the day had become. It was dusk now. The air was already cooling some and the colors of the sky were gorgeous. That peaceful image was shattered by the terrified crying of several children. He was not surprised to find that Lisa was standing in front of just about all of the residents of Big Town.

"—need to leave right now!" The hateful woman was finishing up when Echo quad made their appearance.

All four of them looked at Dice because they knew, just from the look of surprise on Lisa's face, that Lisa had not wanted them awake.

"I think we all have positions we should be getting to, don't we?" Wolf's voice was mild but the underlying steel was there. "Sentry Bot Double-Oh Eleven, activate ambush protocol three!"

"Acknowledged, Ranger Wolf." The sentry bot obediently rolled out of sight.

"This is crazy!" Lisa pleaded with everyone around her but, once again, all eyes were on Wolf and her Rangers now.

"Pappy, Travis! You're with me!" Lee's eyebrows rose when Evie stepped forward, grabbed Pappy by the front of his overalls, and pulled him towards the ladder that led to the weird-looking machine on top of the clubhouse. Travis hurried to catch up with a chagrined look on his face.

Even Wolf was surprised when the short Ranger scurried up the ladder and jumped into the scavenged seat atop a circular metal platform they had welded to the roof. Metal shields, which could slide down to offer the gunner some protection, were held above the chair by pistons that were connected to the thick metal frame around the chair. Two long, slightly curved pieces of metal extended like wings from the front of a long rail. Lee had absolutely no idea what Evie had built but he knew it was uglier than sin.

"Everyone else, you know your roles. Get to them. Ain't got the time for a pretty speech. You know what you're fighting for and what these ugly bastards want to do. We're gonna conquer and then we're gonna put their heads on pikes for the whole Waste to see! Move your asses!"

Lee nodded with a satisfied smirk as the group, Lisa included, charged into action. Betty, Lisa, and Lori led the children to the house furthest from the entrance; it also contained an escape hatch just in case things went very bad. Lee clapped Rachel on the shoulderpad as he went straight to Vernon's side.

"It's been way too long since I was in a firefight, Lee." Vernon said with a grin that was full of bravado.

Lee offered a small smile of his own in reply as he led the larger mercenary out of Big Town proper and into the ruins. Their job would be to watch for flanking forces from the east. Georgia and Rachel had the same task on the west side of town. Kimba, stationed on the roof of the clubhouse, would watch the south.

Lee's legs felt rubbery as he picked up the pace to get into the sniping position he had picked out earlier. They had only been asleep for three, maybe five, hours before the mutants had attacked them. After so much time running and fighting over the last day, it was not enough sleep for them to properly function but they would make do. He did have a packet of stimpills in the first aid kit that he had taken the time to strap to his calf.

_Gonna save it though. I'm still good._

Vernon, garbed in his black leather, was panting by the time Lee had stopped behind an intact house.

"Stay here. Watch my back. I can hear with these things in, just not as good," Lee said as he produced the special set of earplugs that every Ranger was issued with their kit. He had gotten used to wearing them all day and had almost forgotten that he had yet to put them in after waking.

Once his hearing was protected, Lee used an old built-in shed to ascend to the roof. His arms were loose and rubbery by the time he made it to the top. The Ranger slid to his stomach and breathed a tired sigh of relief as he removed the sniper rifle from his back. He quickly set up his weapon, complete with the bipod stand under the barrel, and settled into position. There was a silence about the area that was unsettling to someone anticipating a firefight at any moment.

Thankfully, Leslie didn't have to wait long for that to change.

There was the strangest mechanical sound that he had heard yet from one of Evie's strange inventions. It sounded like something huge and metallic unwinding very fast. Seconds later, a furious roar arose from the northeast but was almost eclipsed by a tremendous _clack-clack-clack_ noise that came at a lightning fast pace. The harsh crack of Georgia's sniper rifle went off to the east and was quickly followed by the hollow _thump_ of a distant grenade detonation.

Then it was Lee's turn. Several massive shapes rose from surprisingly well camouflaged dugouts only a dozen meters from what Lee had mentally declared as the border of Big Town. Lee immediately centered his sights on the nose of the most heavily armored mutie. The big bastard was wearing the front of one of those 'cars' on his damn chest and one of the big circles of metal from the wheel on his right arm. Clutched in the left hand was a massive blade that was probably as large as Big Bastard. Like an idiot, the leader of this little band waved his sword forward as he stood on a small mound of debris, roaring like something out of a story. Lee fired a single round just as the mutie turned to pose one more time with his chin up and his broad nose at a perfect angle. Apparently, mutie skulls were thick; there was no exit wound that Lee could see but his target practically went heels-over-head backwards as the round impacted the back of his skull.

"_**It hurts**_**!**"

That familiar bellow came from the northwest a second after that strange sound. Lee didn't have time to concentrate on that as he sank into a rhythm of picking a target, settling in, and firing. There were three more muties left after the leader was down and none of them seemed to notice his death. Lee took the lead one with a round to an unarmored thigh. Blood began gushing in a torrent from the wound.

_Got the artery_, Lee noted with detachment as the mutie tried to take one more step and fell down.

Of course, given muties legendary toughness, the sonofabitch just kept crawling forward with his sledgehammer in hand. Lee settled his scope's crosshair on the next target and the left eyesocket just seemed to grow larger of its own accord. He had all the time in the world as his finger squeezed the trigger. This time his target managed two more steps before the body caught up to the fact that a sizable chunk of the brain had just exited out of the back of the cranium and the heavy body collapsed in a heap to the ground.

The third mutie had made it below Lee's firing arc though.

_Damn long legs._ Lee grumbled to himself as the sounds of Vernon's assault fire firing on full-auto washed over the area.

"Die, bitch!" Vernon roared when he finally stopped firing, probably to swap his magazine.

"_**No! You die!**_" came the, quite honestly, appropriate response from the super mutant.

Then the entire building Lee was standing on shook as something hit it and the Ranger had a pretty good idea what it was. He wormed his way to the edge of the roof just in time to see Vernon on his back with his .44 aimed squarely at a super mutant hefting _two_ sledgehammers. The former merc screamed incoherently as he unloaded all six shots into the mutie's center of mass as fast as his weapon would fire. Thankfully, this mutie wasn't wearing body armor. The exit wounds were horrific and all six released cascades of blood down his back. With a snarl, the mutie raised its sledgehammers for one more blow as Vernon looked up in horror. Lee, having anticipated one last gesture of defiance, fired a round from his Telly directly through the top of the mutie's head. There, the Ranger knew from Wolf's lectures on anatomy, the skull was thinner than the frontal bone. Not as thin as the temple but Lee would take what he could get.

Blood, thick and red, burst from the super mutant's eyes, nose, mouth, and ears as the strength instantly left his body. Vernon had to roll out of the way to avoid the sledgehammers. The merc looked up at Lee in shock and the Ranger shrugged. With a grateful nod, Vernon stood and went to retrieve his fallen assault rifle. Lee crawled back to resume his watch on the eastern front. That strange sound from Evie's machine came again but was immediately followed by the high-pitched _zap_ of the sentry bot's gatling laser. Not long after that the ever-present roar of the muties completely stopped.

"You think we got 'em all, Lee?" Vernon yelled to him, probably because of ringing in his ears from firing his weapons without ear protection. Lee's father had drilled the use of something to protect his hearing, which was vital to a hunter, since he was old enough to keep earplugs in.

"They'd still be roarin' about eating our asses if we didn't!" Lee shouted back while keeping a steady eye on the field before him just in case.

A few minutes later, Dice's voice came from below. "We did it, Daddy-O's! Creamed those big yellow fucks real good!"

_Yellow? They always look green to me. Maybe it's all the drugs she took._

"Wolf wants everyone back now." Dice's voice was pitched much higher than normal due to her excitement and it caused a small smile to appear on Lee's face.

"Coming."

Lee descended from his perch carefully to avoid twisting an ankle because of his combat boots. Vernon and Dice were waiting for him at the bottom with strangely wide grins and shining eyes. Vernon ran a hand through his short blonde hair and chuckled.

"Thanks for saving my dick, Lee. I thought that big fucker had me for a second."

"No problemo." Lee told him with a shrug.

The trio walked back towards the gate to Big Town proper and Lee noticed how tired Dice seemed to get just from that walk. She was carrying around the undoubtedly heavy sword that had given her a reputation amongst the gangs on the north side of the Potomac. Lee had a little experience with addicts and he knew that severe withdrawal couldn't be more than a day off at the most unless she managed to procure whatever her drugs of choice were.

"We did it! We did it!" Flash's voice was positively ringing as the three crossed the bridge.

Dusty, still seated in his chair as he kept an eye on the bridge, gave them a weary smile as they crossed and he tipped his .32 hunting rifle in their direction.

"No one'll fuck with us now!" Shorty shouted and, from what Lee could see, grabbed a startled Lori and began some kind of arrhythmic dance by the circle of barrel fires that someone had made just in the few minutes since the attack.

Lee's attention was taken by the group that was waiting for him a dozen feet behind Dusty's station. Wolf, Red, Georgia, Otis, Travis, and Matt were all speaking in quiet, excited voices as they approached.

"I brought them back just like you wanted, Wolf." Dice said, grinning sweetly at Wolf.

_She probably thinks it's a sweet smile but it looks more like a hungry dog looking at a steak._

"Thanks, Dice. Go join the party and help them get ready. They need to blow off some steam." Wolf ordered the girl and, to Lee's surprise, Dice just nodded vigorously and hurried to do the Ranger's bidding.

_There's something weird going on there._ Lee thought as he raised an eyebrow at his quadleader and received a wink in reply. _Definitely something weird._

"Where's Rachel?" Lee asked after realizing he couldn't see or hear the normally, but especially after winning a fight, boisterous woman.

"She's hurt worse than she realized. I gave her some med-X and told her to sleep. She's got some damage to her left shoulder and upper back." Lee nodded in understanding. He knew how easy it was to keep going without realizing how hurt you were.

"Gracias." Lee thanked Brucie as the child offered him a mug of water from the large plate of mugs he was carrying.

"Is anyone in need of medical attention before we move on?" Wolf's question was greeted by silence and shrugs. "Lee, Georgia, I want you two walkin' perimeter. Eyes sharp. I don't think there's more out there but we can't be too careful. I've got the sentry bot tracin' a tight perimeter but it will investigate any gunfire. Otis, Vernon, you two are with me. We're going to verify kills and clear the way for the scavenging team to come through. They already have their assignments. Let's get moving."

Lee stepped up to Georgia and nodded at the sun-browned young woman. "I'll start north if you wanna go south."

"Sounds like a plan." Georgia replied quietly and offered Lee a shy smile that he returned.

The Ranger's limbs felt a little stronger after the excitement of the one-sided gunfight and it wasn't as hot as it could have been since they had attacked so close to sunset. Lee scurried his way through the decrepit houses and decimated lawns along the left side of the road leading out of town. He was a couple hundred feet away from the gate when he heard a feeble growl coming from the street. Lee turned to see a super mutant, on his side, clutching something that protruded at least a foot out of his chest. Whatever it was, was thick and looked sturdy. There was surprisingly little blood beneath the mutie but Lee knew that sometimes the thing stabbing you actually prevented you from bleeding out. A man would have probably died very quickly from just the wound. Sometimes the vaunted robust nature of the super mutant was not a good thing. Further up the street, Lee encountered a luckier mutie. The stick-thing had got him right in the neck and partially decapitated the monster.

Lee fought the urge to chuckle at the way the mutie's tongue was sticking out of its mouth. He was always on the lookout for signs that he was 'losing it' as professional mercs liked to call it when one of their own went batshit crazy. That was another reason there weren't as many old mercenaries or raiders leading lives of retirement. Most of them either 'lost it' and got themselves killed, did it themselves, or ended up raving lunatics living isolated existences. A lot of mercs said it started with chuckling at things that really weren't that funny. They said that you knew you still 'had it' if you could stop the urge. Lee rarely got the urge but he had been able to stop it whenever it did come upon him.

Lee settled into the sniper nest that Georgia had seen them approach from what seemed like ages ago but had just been the same morning. He stayed there for a few moments to scan the horizon and, once he was satisfied there was nothing else coming across the bridge or up from the riverbank, he resumed his patrol.

Stealth was such an ingrained skill that he ghosted through the town as though it were an enemy encampment. It was in this manner that he came upon Lori and Dice as they looted the dead super mutants for anything useful. Both girls, unused to strict sound discipline, were chatting noisily and he couldn't help but overhear snatches of conversation.

"But she's so old, D!" Lori whispered loudly in shock.

"Big Daddy's are really boss in the sack." Dice grunted as the two girls struggled to push a mutie body over so they could get at the latch on his equipment belt. "Well, that's what I heard. I don't know if anybody in the old gang was older than twenty anyway."

"But she's so... I don't know... round, you know?"

"That chassis looks super-classy to me, dolly. I think I could really have a blast with that rack." Now Dice's voice sounded kind of dreamy.

"I know she's had kids. You can tell from the way she walks. She's old _and_ she's prolly got a bunch of brats runnin' around."

Dice was quiet for awhile. "I guess that makes me a grave-robbing motherfucker, don't it? Why the fuck are you bein' such a party pooper, L?"

Lori spluttered at Dice's suddenly angry tone. "Cool it, D! It just seems kinda oddball."

Lee shook his head and quietly moved away from the pair of teenage girls. The only person they could possibly be talking about was Wolf. He wondered if his quad leader had any idea if she was the object of Dice's crush.

_She probably does. Wolf isn't stupid._

Lee had completed several runs around the perimeter when Lori came scrambling through the ruins of the houses in his direction. She had no idea where he was and began softly calling his name. The Ranger stepped out from cover and placed a hand on her shoulder. She gave a startled yelp and spun with her hands over her mouth.

"Sorry, Lori. What is it?"

Once Lori had composed herself, she spoke quickly, "Song wants you on the east side of town. She says there's a group of scavs coming up and she wants you."

"Let's go."

Lee broke into a steady jog that ate the distance up quickly. Lori outpaced him quickly, since she wasn't carrying forty pounds of weapons and gear, on her way to the town's interior. He wasn't going to break into a run and be exhausted when he got there. That habit had gotten a lot of raiders killed by his tomahawk. He arrived where Wolf, Dice, Flash, Kimba,Vernon, Otis, Georgia, Travis, and Matt were all waiting for him just in front of the last house on the edge of town.

"Alright, the group numbers at about a dozen. I don't want anyone to panic but it looks like they're Jerry's Kids." Dice chuckled and Wolf smirked. "Hey, it fits." Wolf's face settled into a mask of concentration. "This is how it's going to go. Dice, Vernon, Otis, Travis and Matt are going to escort Lee out there to see what they want but I think we know. Lee, you're going to do the talking. You're my Numero Dos and you know, well as anybody, what I'd say. Kimba, Georgia, I want you on those roofs. Converging fields on the meeting. Flash, you're going to watch my back while I wait to see if the shit hits the fan. I'll be waiting right here. Anybody gets hit, you bring them to me. Am I understood?"

"Why do you want me out there, dolly?" Dice asked curiously as she nervously fingered the hilt of Big Bastard.

"Because you still look, walk and talk like a raider. They might hesitate to go up against a band of hardened raiders and you guys fit the look the best."

Dice nodded. "I can dig it."

"Follow Lee's lead. Get to it."

There was a moment where the air was filled with the sounds of bolts being drawn back, safeties being flicked off, and equipment being resettled. Lee drew his Telly several times to refresh the motions in his muscle-memory. The group formed up behind him as he began to walk in the direction the raiders were approaching from. Lee could see the approaching figures as soon as they were clear of the ruins. He also noticed that Wolf had made good on the promise to stick the muties heads on poles for the entire waste to see. Lee's small group was flanked by a pair of the grotesque trophies.

Lee could tell when the group, who was making a lot of noise on approach, noticed them. The tightly clustered mob stopped moving for a moment and just stared at the line of figures they were facing. They were still too far away to make out facial details but the largest person began gesturing angrily and the cluster spread out into a line. They were still too close together; one volley of grenades would take most of them out before they could react.

When they got closer, Lee could see that the apparent leader was really big. He was several inches taller than Rachel and at least as muscular as Toshiba. The suit of metal armor he wore just made him seem even bigger. He held out a massive arm and his line of scavs came to a gradual, uneven halt. The leader came forward and slowly removed his helmet; Lee noted that the helmet was actually composed of half of a skull and it looked like it had come from a super mutant. The identity of the metal-clad scav was solidified by the trio of deep scars on the left side of his face. If Lee had to guess, only his sunken eyes and protruding brow had saved the man from losing the eye. As it was, one corner of his mouth was twisted and slick with drool from where several teeth were visible through his cheek.

_What kind of animal leaves claw marks like that?_ Lee thought idly to himself as Jerry approached.

Lee also noticed that the scav leader was armed with a 10mm pistol and some kind of gauntlet with what looked like two obscenely long claws hanging from it. Lee had never seen those kinds of claws on any animal in the Wastes. If the man wasn't a cannibal, rapist, murderer, and all-around _bad_ guy, Lee would have been asking him all about it.

"Which one'a'ya's in charge around 'ere?" Jerry's voice was not as deep or imposing as his body would have suggested.

"I speak for Big Town." Lee answered, stepping forward slightly. Thankfully, he didn't have to look up at the man since they were standing a comfortable dozen or so feet away from each other.

"Well, this is a die-lemma, fer sure." Jerry drawled, scratching under his chin with his bladed gauntlet without drawing the slightest bit of blood.

"What do you want here?"

"We just came to pick up the pieces. One'ah my 'ssociates tol' me all about Big Town and how it's always takin' it up tha ass. Seemed like tha thang to do."

"As you can see, we're doing just fine. So you can go back to where you came from."

Jerry hissed air between his teeth and caused a bit of spittle to fly out of the hole in his face. "Now, there we have a problem, son. I dun came all this way and now I need a place ta sit down and rest myself. Then we can talk about how your little town is gonna stay alive and kickin'. You understand me?"

"Yes. But let me make myself clear, puto." Lee grinned widely. "You see those two up there." He gestured with his thumb at the stakes behind him. "They were part of a group of muties that thought they could come in and do whatever they want. You see what they got? What makes you think you won't end up the same way?"

Jerry laughed. "I've got two hun'ned hard-ass motherfuckers in my camp that'll come in and rape, kill, and eat every fucking person in that town. Hell, I could prolly do it just with who I got."

Now it was Lee's turn to laugh. "If you think this is all I got, try your luck, estupido. You'll be dead before you take two steps. Believe it."

Now Jerry's face turned positively murderous in the ruby light of sunset. "I'll give ya three days ta make up your minds 'cause I'm generous like that. On tha third day, I'm comin' at you hard. Believe _that_." Jerry spun around and stomped back to his men. "We'll have our fun another day, boys. Let's go back!"

There was a lot of discontented grumbling from the group but they turned around and went back. Once they were small figures on the horizon, Lee walked back to where Wolf was waiting.

"You hear all that, boss?" Lee asked and Wolf nodded, her face serious. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinkin' that we're gonna kill them all."


	20. XX

Once again, it was Lisa Brumfield that was lamenting the decision to relocate to Big Town and follow Wolf's lead. The woman had never really bothered Lee that much before; at most, she was a mild irritant, but he was closely approaching the point where giving her a butt-stroke across the jaw with his Telly seemed like a really good idea. Wolf, Lee, Lisa, Matt, Travis, Otis, Vernon, and Red were gathered in the clubhouse's front room for an impromptu meeting to decide what to do about the current disaster bearing down on them. There could have been more original Big Towners there but Red was the most level-headed individual among them.

_That's why I have no fucking clue why we keep letting Lisa join in._

"Are you all going to listen to me now instead of this crazy bitch?" Lisa's appearance had suffered more in the last few days from a combination of anger and stress than from a lack of hygiene. There were dark circles around her eyes and they bulged from their sockets even further than normal. "It's been one thing after another! Now we're back to square one! About to be eaten by those cannibals!"

Otis paused from where he was taping up Vernon's ankle that the former merc had twisted when he fell fighting a super mutant and sneered at the fiery woman. "Not one of us has died and you haven't even gotten close, you ditzy bitch. If it wasn't for them, we probably would have been smoked out and strung up days ago. So, and someone stop me if you haven't all thought it, Matt, could you please shut your fucking wife up while we think of a way out of this clusterfuck? For fuck's sake, no offense Travis, but she's getting as bad as Betty."

Vernon, Travis, and even Red all looked around the room uncomfortably while Lisa's face flushed with embarrassment. Matt's eyes narrowed and he took an aggressive step forward but Lee cut him off.

"Relax." Matt looked down at Lee for a second as though he wanted to toss the Ranger aside.

"Look, Lisa," Wolf commanded the attention of the room in that way that seemed to becoming increasingly easier for her. "I know how it looks but Otis has a point about our track record. Has harm come to you and yours at all?" Wolf was quiet for a moment and waited for Lisa to shake her head petulantly. "Have a little hope; some faith in our ability and we'll see this through to the end. Can you try? We all need to be together in this until the very end."

Lisa stood and glared at Wolf for several long moments before she nodded sharply. "Let's hear it."

"First, you should all know that there's no way in any layer of Hell that Jerry's got two hundred scavs in his camp. And, if he does, half of them are probably always out trying to find supplies so they can stay in the town."

Vernon snorted. "That still leaves us outnumbered at least four-to-one. Not good odds when most of your force can barely hit the broadside of a fucking mountain with a machinegun."

"Exactly. That's my second point. We need reinforcements." Now Wolf and Lee smiled unison. "It's a good thing we have some to call on. Unfortunately, that means that I have to send Lee back to Megaton."

"Uhm." Now it was Red's turn to softly weigh-in. "Won't they have people watching the town to make sure we don't run?"

"I can get past them. No problemo." Lee answered with a shrug.

"We'll send him with a small relay and instructions on how to modify our radio network so Big Town is in it. He'll radio HQ and request reinforcements. They can be here well before Jerry's deadline."

"How many will there be?"

"Enough."

"Enough?" Lisa's voice rose to a shrill tone that Lee had never heard before. "_Enough!_ You don't have any fucking idea, do you?"

"Okay. That's it. I didn't want it to have to come to this but-" Wolf turned to the woman's husband and gave him a hard look. "Get her the fuck out of here so we can be productive. Now."

There was something about Wolf when she spoke in that demanding, quiet tone; something that promised that the next time she spoke, there would be violence to back up her words. Even though Matt was several inches taller than the Ranger quadleader, he visibly swallowed and put an arm around his wife's shoulders.

"You can't be seriously listening to her, Matty!" Lisa growled in her fury.

"Let's go see how the kids are doing, Lisa." Thankfully, the woman didn't resist too much as Matt led her out of the door.

"Now, if no one else has any dumbass bitchin' to get out,-" Wolf actually paused to see if there was anyone else before she continued, "-let's get the details down."

* * *

"Welcome back, Lee!"

The adrenaline that had been keeping Lee going for the last six hours seemed to flee his body at the greeting from Wadsworth. Avoiding the sentries had been easy since the scavs were more concerned about not becoming a midnight snack for a nocturnal predator than in watching for anyone crazy enough to try to escape in the dark. Lee's anxiety had stemmed entirely from the same concern as the scavs. There had been a close call with a pack of wild dogs but a small splash of radscorpion blood on his trail had discouraged them. Sneaking into Megaton, after taking the long way around Springvale, hadn't been very difficult. All you had to do was know the secret escape routes several of the residents had built for themselves. He was not willing to risk one of Jerry's scavs spotting him entering the town. Setting up the additional relay dish hadn't taken as long as he had thought, even if he had to climb the damn tower by himself. Jericho had spotted him and grumpily waved to him as he passed on night patrol. There were definitely advantages to being a resident of a town.

"Hey, Wadsworth."

"Water reserves are at seventy-five percent capacity, sir. Would you like a drink?"

"Yeah. Bring a pitcher and a cup, please." Lee dropped his empty pack on the floor near the dining table. He had left his sniper rifle, since it would be useless in the dark, and only took the time to remove his .44 holster before wheeling the communication cart from its station next to Evie's workbench. Lee sat down, adjusting the frequency, and slouched back in his chair as he held the transceiver to his mouth. "_This is Echo Two calling HQ. I have an emergency situation and request immediate assistance. Over._"

There was a moment of low-pitched static before a reply came from a young voice that Lee didn't recognize at all. "_This is HQ, Echo Two. What is the nature of your emergency? Over._"

"_Reinforcements are needed for an assault on a fortified raider encampment. They have threatened a town of ten plus residents, including children. Over._"

This time the pause was even longer and, to Lee's relief, Nathan's voice came over the airwaves this time. "_Nathan here, Lee. Sounds like you stepped in some serious shit. I thought you knew all the heavy-hitters in that area. Over."_

"_I do. There's a new player that rose up while I was training at HQ. Name's Jerry and he's a cannibal too. We saved a couple of kids from being roasted alive by some of his scavs-turned-raiders. Over._"

"_Alright. Give me a sit-rep. Over._"

As quickly and accurately as possible, Lee outlined the entire situation including the rescue of Red and Shorty. Nathan was suitably impressed.

"_Holy shit. Echo's been busy. Hell, all the Rangers have been busy. You guys are putting the original team to shame! Ha! Reilly's up and she's grimacing at that._" Nathan's voice was completely serious in the next instant. _"You've got the relay set up, right? That's good. I'll contact Big Town and let them know that help is on the way. We'll set up a temp. base in town when we arrive in approximately twenty hours. I'm not sure how many you'll get but it'll be at least a quad with heavy weapons. So, get some sleep, Lee. Over._"

"_Yes, sir, but I'll be heading back to my quad tomorrow night. Over._"

Nathan's laughter came back at him through the transceiver. "_Never doubted that for a second, Lee. Over and out."_

"Would you like more water?" Wadsworth asked and it was only then that Lee realized he had finished the half-filled pitcher of water that had been brought to him.

"No thanks, Waddy." Lee stood with a groan and stumbled up the steps in an exhausted haze.

The Ranger retained enough energy to remove his armor before flopping onto his mattress; unconscious before he had fully settled.

* * *

Rachel sat outside the house where the children slept, left arm immobilized in a sling, and a metal flask of relatively decent whiskey in her right hand. The setting sun cast long shadows and it was already chilly but the whiskey was keeping her warm for now. She should have been resting but she could only take that shit for too long before she went stir-crazy. The panic that the Lisa cunt was trying to cultivate hadn't helped her sleep anyway. That was one of the reasons she was sitting outside this house. Lisa had been ranting like a crazy woman and scaring the children. Wolf had gone in to calm her down and reassure the kids while Evie and Rachel acted as unofficial guards. Their primary role was to make sure the woman didn't come back until she had composed herself enough not to frighten her own kid.

"You think Lee'll make it back tonight?" Evie asked from where she was leaning against the porch railing to Rachel's right.

"He said he would." Rachel said the words as though that was all that needed to be said.

_Fuck me if I don't kind of believe the little bastard'll keep his word, too._

"Yeah. He _is_ a stubborn fucker, isn't he?"

Rachel turned to examine Evie and gave a grim nod at what she saw. Little Evie was toughening up and it was easy to see in the increasingly casually confident manner she was carrying herself. Her railway rifle and laser pistol actually seemed to be extensions of her body now as opposed to weapons she was afraid of.

"Yeah, Evie. He sure is. All the fucking stories these Wasters tell about him..." Rachel shook her head in bemusement. "You'd think he could kill a deathclaw with nothing but that tomahawk and knife. The funny thing is... I can see him doing and saying a lot of the shit they say he's said and done."

Evie laughed and shook her head when Rachel offered her a swig out of the flask. "Do you hear that?"

Rachel paused in taking another swig and concentrated. Soon, she was able to pick up the faint sounds of someone singing like an angel and she knew exactly what it was.

"Yup. That's Wolf."

Evie's eyes widened dramatically. "Wolf?"

"Yeah. She could sing a damn raging brahmin to sleep, I'm tellin' ya. It really is something. Just listen."

For the next couple hours, between shooing off the occasional Big Towner, the two Rangers listened to Wolf as she infrequently burst into song. By the time that she emerged, the sun had fully set. Wolf popped a stick of chewing gum in her mouth and sighed as she looked up at the stars.

"Well, I finally got them to sleep. They need it. I don't think any of them's gotten much these past few days. It's been one thing after another." Wolf stopped talking to chew on her gum in seeming irritation. "Fuckin' Lisa. Whar's she?"

The Rangers, used to Wolf's occasional lapses into a thick accent they couldn't place, shrugged in unison.

"Matt took her somewhere into one of the abandoned buildings in town. Georgia says that the watchers Jerry posted are staying clear for now." Rachel grinned mischievously. "She also says that Matt and Lisa have gone there several times for a little privacy in the last couple days. Apparently, rough sex calms Lisa down."

Evie chuckled quietly. "You know that she lectured me about how I was the right age to be settling down with a good family and that I didn't need to be running around in company with such sinful women?"

Wolf coughed violently as she nearly swallowed her gum. "Who's sinful?"

Now Evie laughed outright. "Well, anyone with a chest as large as yours _has_ to be, right?"

They all laughed at that one but stopped when a fourth, wonderfully familiar, voice joined in.

"What's so funny?" Lee asked with an ear-to-ear grin stretched across his dusty face.

The three women of Echo quad clustered around Lee in varying degrees of relief and excitement. Evie, always physically demonstrative, immediately wrapped her arms around him to deliver a heartfelt hug. Rachel clapped the young man on the back and grinned hugely at him. Wolf simply crossed her arms across her chest and smiled.

"Once Evie manages to let you go, I'd like a report, Lee."

Evie stuck out her tongue as she released Lee and the group quietly headed to the clubhouse. Their march was stopped in its tracks by the sounds of a ceramic plate shattering against the side of a house.

"This fucking goopy shit tastes like fucking shit!" Dice's voice, of that rough quality that spoke of dehydration, shattered the relative stillness of dusk. "What'd you put in it? An extra helpin' of sun-baked asshole?"

"Fuck you, Dice!" Kimba shouted indignantly from the table she, Lori, Dice and Georgia had placed near the junk pile to eat at. "That's all we got."

"Well, it tastes like ass and dirt so that's where it goes!" Before the last word was out of her mouth, Dice had overturned the circular table to spill everyone's food over.

There was no immediate reaction from the others as they stared at the wasted food and water. If the food had been anything other than gruel, Wolf was sure there would have been scrambling to retrieve it before it got too dirty. As it was, the gruel and water mingled with the dirt to produce a disgusting mess. There was one thing that no sane Waster ever did and that was waste food but allowing relatively rad-free water to soak into the ground had gotten people killed before. Wolf was stomping over to Dice as the other three girls turned to the former raider with murder in their eyes.

"I'll handle this." Wolf stated firmly and grabbed Dice by the elbow as she led her towards the clubhouse. "Give us five minutes."

"Don't hurt her too bad!" Evie exclaimed with a smirk as Wolf shoved Dice into the building and slammed the door behind them.

Dice immediately flopped onto a bedroll and began shaking uncontrollably. Wolf sighed and went to her med-kit.

"How long ago did you start?" Wolf asked as she prepared a dose of one of The Wanderer's drug cocktails that was supposed to lessen the impact of chem withdrawal.

"I-I-I don't know. Been feelin' like shit most of tha day. Shakes just started though." That was the most Dice could get out before she began a round of convulsive shivering.

"Next time, tell someone. Red could probably cook something up for you to ease you through the physical part of your withdrawal, same as me." Wolf gently tied off Dice's left arm with a small length of surgical tubing.

The medic shook her head at the poor choices she had for an injection site but she found the best option and inserted the needle without any warning. She was not surprised when Dice didn't make so much as a peep while the injection was delivered.

"There. You'll sleep for a long time. Is there anyplace you want me to take you before you go out?"

"Can I sleep 'ere?" Dice asked groggily as the medication began taking effect.

"Sure you can." Wolf patted Dice consolingly on the shoulder and pulled a threadbare canvas blanket over her shoulders. "You sleep as long as you want."

"Thank you. You're too good to-" Whatever else the young woman was going to say was cut off as her head slumped back comically as she succumbed to the drug.

Wolf placed the back of her hand to Dice's forehead to ensure that the fever was actually breaking before she stood and headed to the front door. She held it open and her Rangers silently filed in. They passed the living areas on their way to the kitchen with only cursory glances at the deeply unconscious Dice. Once they were all settled, Wolf, Lee, and Evie sat at the table while Rachel stood watching the doorways, Wolf began speaking.

"So, Lee, what does it look like out there?"

A grim look settled over Lee's face. "They're disciplined. For raiders. Sentries are there and in good order but poorly trained. I think they had a big score, maybe hit a food caravan, and that's why we got so many days. Probably promised his men a little R&R."

"And the guards around Big Town?" Wolf asked, grimacing at the thought of anyone being subject to the raiders dark whims.

"Not very good but I wouldn't trust anyone but one of us to make it past them undetected. Maybe Georgia but the rest? No way."

"I figured as much. Do you really think reinforcements can get here in time?"

"Yes. Moving fast, with a group large enough to scare away predators and muties, it's easy. No problemo."

Wolf was freshly amazed at how Lee's quiet confidence could relieve her tension about their situation so easily. She hoped it didn't show on her face as she nodded in what she thought was a cool, professional manner.

"Good, good. The Wanderer said that we'll plan a coordinated attack after they arrive in Megaton tomorrow night and deploy in the morning. I want everyone to stay focused. One of us is going to be on watch at all times; standard rotation for that sort of thing." That meant at least a two-hour overlap between shifts, dawn and dusk, to better the odds if Jerry's Kids decided to attack sooner. "You can skip your first if you want, Lee."

"I got plenty of rest. I'm good. Just need something to drink and I'll start the rounds."

Wolf nodded and couldn't stop the small smile that appeared as Lee stood. It felt good to be a part of something again; even if the small family they had built had more than a few issues as individuals and a group. The eldest of the group was content though. They were all alive, intact, and hopefully they would remain that way for a long time. She would do her best to ensure it.

* * *

Lee stifled a yawn as he watched the eastern perimeter through his scope. Evelyn was next on watch and was already walking a patrol route. He had another hour before it was time for him to get some sleep. Georgia, having volunteered for the predawn shift, was somewhere in town watching her own section of perimeter while Otis and Shorty walked the same route Evie was taking. The experienced scout methodically scanned his section of perimeter for movement and he instantly spotted a small lantern in the window of a supposedly abandoned house.

Someone inside flicked the shutter closed and open several times in what was a Ranger code for "Assistance needed." Lee had no idea what kind of assistance was needed but he didn't hesitate in climbing down from his perch and making his way to the house. It was the same style of dwelling that the rest were and Lee entered into an uninhabited living room. He could see the small lantern sitting on a table in front of the window but where was the person that had placed it there.

"Lee." A low, husky voice called out to him from the right.

Lee swallowed and closed his eyes in an effort to calm his suddenly furiously beating heart. He knew that voice and what he would probably find when he turned around. If he did turn, Lee was not sure how long his resistance could hold out.

"I thought we were going to stop this, bonita?"

"We might die tomorrow but we're still alive and I'm horny. Really horny. I don't know why and I don't care. It took all I had not to tear off your armor and fuck you right in front of the others when you came back." There was the distinct sound of two palms striking a wood surface. "Look at me, Lee."

As if in a trance, Lee opened his eyes and slowed turned his entire body in Evie's direction. Somehow, from who knew where, Evie had managed to procure a sheer lace nightgown and she was completely naked beneath it. He hadn't thought she'd been out of eyesight long enough to shed her armor, weapons, and gadgets to slip into the sexy nightwear. The most alluring thing was her posture. Little Evie had her palms pressed against the doorframe with her legs slightly parted. Her head was down slightly and she was staring at him from beneath her brow with those large brown eyes of hers. When her tongue flicked across her top lip, Lee was undone.

In a flash, Lee discarded his rifle and gunbelt. Then he was snatching Evie up by her hips and carrying her into the bedroom. She wrapped her arms and legs around him as they shared a hungry kiss. When they broke apart, a huge grin spread across Evie's face.

"We'll have to be fast." Lee told her breathlessly.

Evie leaned forward to gently bite his ear before whispering, "Then fuck me against the wall."

* * *

Wolf was having trouble sleeping. She always did when events seemed to be spiraling out of her control. It didn't help that it was as quiet as the grave in the house. Dice was sleeping so deeply that Wolf had been worried she had overdosed the poor girl. The former raider was still breathing though and so she thanked God for that small favor. She was going to have to relieve Evie in approximately four hours and she had barely slept a wink all night.

_I know what'll help me sleep._ The familiar twinge filled her at the thought of what she was about to do in a semi-public setting. When she was married, she had thought of herself as demure and shy in matters of sex. Wolf didn't know if it was the events of the past two years or just the company she was keeping but she was definitely experiencing new facets to her sexuality. It had been a complete shock to her, upon finally giving in to the urge that night at Alpha's, that Lee knowing what she was doing had caused her to have one of the most intense orgasms of her life at that point. _I'll have to be quiet though._

Wolf had worn her camo pants and a tanktop to bed. Thankfully, all of their pants had tabs instead of zippers so it was really easy to undo them. Before she could slip her hand beneath the waistband, a low moan, quickly stifled, broke the silence of the room. Wolf instantly had a sense of déjà vu except she was Lee this time. She strained her ears to listen but could not detect even the slightest noise. She knew from experience how quiet Rachel could be when she wanted to. Wolf's hand continued its journey and began to slowly caress her throbbing area.

"Rachel?" She called, hoping her voice didn't tremble much.

"Yeah." Rachel replied perhaps a bit too quickly and, perhaps, guiltily.

"Be louder." Wolf's eyes widened at the words that had just come from her mouth. She had wanted to tease Rachel a bit while they both got off but, apparently, her subconscious was betraying her.

"You like listening to me?" Rachel asked and her breath came out in a hiss as the low rustle of fabric came from her direction in the darkened bedroom.

"Yes." Now Wolf was really wet and her hand increased its speed.

"I'm coming over."

And then Rachel was settling her sleeping pallet besides Wolf's. Wolf quickly threw her thin blanket off and Rachel's shin hooked around hers. She then knew that Rachel had rolled onto her stomach with her hands between her legs while Wolf was on her back with her own spread. It sent a delicious spark down Wolf's spine at the thought of them being caught like this.

_I wonder what Lee would do if he saw us._

That thought caused a low moan to emerge from her throat and was quickly followed by a grunt from Rachel.

* * *

It was just after dusk of the second day when Nathan contacted Big Town. Lee was watching Evie give a demonstration of her railway rifle to the Big Towners. She had increased the fire rate and adjusted her iron sights. Lee tried not to gawk as she nailed three circular pieces of metal to a wooden stand in just under three seconds. The whistle of her steam-driven weapon was almost constant as she fired. The Big Towners were suitably impressed and stared in gap-jawed disbelief. Evie simply shouldered her weapons and went to check on the nails. She was trying to discover just what kinds of material would warp the spikes so bad that she couldn't reuse them. Bones were iffy but if they passed through soft tissue, Evie thought she could recycle them at least three times. Lee wondered if the normally squeamish girl would be able to actually remove them from the flesh of a human being.

"Walker, Money!" Kimba called to them from what had become an unofficial community gathering table. "Song says that Megaton's made contact."

Lee and Evie shared a grin before heading towards the house everyone was calling their "base". Rachel and Wolf were already gathered at the kitchen table around the radio at its center.

"_Everyone's here, Megaton. Over."_ Wolf announced into the oval transmitter she held to her lips.

"_Excellent." _Nathan sounded completely relaxed and confident as he spoke. _"I think you'll be happy to know that we managed to recruit Alpha and Delta quad for this op. I also brought all of HQ except for Sydney and Reilly. Someone had to watch the kids."_ Someone shouted something in the background. _"They weren't happy about it, as Donovan just so helpfully pointed out. How are you on ammo, Echo? Over."_

"_We've got plenty. Over."_

"_Heavy Weapons? Over_."

_"Just the missile launcher but we have five left for that. Over_."

"_Excellent. We've scouted out Springvale and I have a preliminary battle plan drawn up. I want to hit them from as many fronts as we can. We have four teams, so I want to hit them from the four compass points an hour before dawn tomorrow. Snipers will lead off the attack and take out those flamers and heavies from a safe distance. Once that's down, all teams, minus the snipers will clear the town building-by-building. Ideas? Over."_

Wolf frowned and rapidly tapped her thumb against the table as she thought. After a few minutes, she clicked the transmitter again. _"Suggest assault element of quads overlap fields of fire after snipers take out heavies. Raiders will likely panic or charge straight out to get payback. Better to draw them out than have to dig them out. Over."_

Nathan's reply was much faster than Wolf's had been. _"Yes, yes, you have a point, Echo Lead. Echo quad will be responsible for the western front. Convergence is on the school. Standard settlement attack protocol. Sunrise tomorrow is at zero-seven-hundred. Understood? Over."_

"_Loud and clear, Megaton. Over."_

"_Someone wants to say hello, Big Town."_ There was a rough static noise as the transmitter exchanged hands.

"_Guess who's come to save the day!"_ A familiar voice crowed over the airwaves.

"_Goldstein?" _Wolf asked with a fond smile.

"_The one and only. They call me Goldfinger now though on account of that's how good the ladies find it."_ There were a number of groans and catcalls that came from room around Adam. _"Hey, fuck off, Nails! You saw me score with that one dame Machete! Put her ass right to sleep, I did! No, that wasn't a drunk dream! _You_ were the only one that was drunk that night!"_

Wolf shook her head in exasperation as Lee held his hand out for the transmitter.

"_I see that my advice paid off, __amigo!"_

"_Lee! Ha! Hell yes, it worked. I've gotten laid in just about every town I've spotted a likely girl. Man, if I only had known that shit when I was younger! I've been spreading your gospel, man! Every merc in the Waste is gonna know your name. That you're not one to be fucked with _and_ you know how to get _all_ the fucking gash you can handle, brother! Say, is Rachel there?"_

Lee gestured for Rachel to take the transmitter from him and chuckled at the shake of her head.

"_Of course."_ Lee answered for her. _"What do ya want me to tell her?"_

"_I'm ready for round three if she is!"_ Lee could practically feel Adam's goofy grin coming over the radio. There was more excited chatter in the background and then Adam got particularly shrill. _"Fuck you, Brian! So what if I'm horny as Hell! Talk about pot and kettle! Who's the one that got into an orgy with those mercs from Maryland when we got stuck in that shack? That place smelled like burnt asshole all night, you nasty fucker! Don't laugh, Val! I know what you wanna ask Lee and W-urk!"_

Now there was the sounds of what Lee hoped was friendly scuffling before Nathan came back on. _"I swear, it's like babysitting a bunch of five-year-olds. That aside, get some rest, Rangers. Tomorrow, we're going to make a splash. Megaton over and out."_

Wolf placed the transmitter back onto the radio and leaned back in her seat. "Money, do one last equipment check. Make sure the Big Towners and the others can't blow themselves up with anything we leave behind. Lee, make sure Moon's cloak is up to snuff, then get with Otis, Georgia and Vernon about keeping the perimeter watch tight tonight. Rach, you're on weapons detail. I want us all to get at least seven hours before we go to work tomorrow. Let's get to it."

* * *

The raider, dressed in blastermaster armor, lit a cigarette and puffed irritably as he looked in the direction of Springvale. He muttered something to himself about the "assholes taking all the fresh pussy for themselves" while he had his back turned to the place he was supposed to be watching. When he turned to actually do his job, he came face-to-face with what must have been a ghost as pale and silent as it was. That was the only thing his stunned mind could come up with as the "ghost" moved faster than he could follow. Suddenly, the raider's face was meeting the ground with brutal force, seconds before a boot was placed on his head and a iron grip settled around his wrist.

Rachel broke the Raider's neck with one convulsive heave and settled herself into a crouch with her ankle-length cloak pooling around her. The cloak was not as good as Lee's ghillie but it worked surprisingly well spread over even the smallest of depressions that she was concealing herself in. This was the third sentry that she had taken care of. She whistled sharply and breathed a sigh of relief when a higher-pitched whistle answered her. That was the signal that all of the sentries were taken care of.

The heavily armed Ranger stood in the predawn light, the two halves of her missile launcher framing her silhouette as she pulled the heavy pack from it's hiding place, and hurried to the rendezvous just outside of Big Town. She was the first one there but only had to wait less than a minute before Lee and the others joined her. Without a word, Wolf gestured for Lee to take point. Rachel brought up the rear with assault rifle at the low ready. The journey to their chosen sniping position went quickly and without incident. It was as though Jerry had total faith in the mere six sentries he had posted to keep them contained. That was just insulting to a merc that had as much training as Rachel.

Lee brought them to a stop in a small hollow about twenty feet from where two dilapidated buildings stood overlooking the elementary school from a rise. He used handsign to indicate that he and Rachel would scout it out and silently eliminate anyone that might be sleeping in the dwellings. Why anyone would want to sleep in a place that was practically open to the elements, Rachel didn't know, but Lee had more experience dealing with these sorts of people. She nodded and slipped off her launcher and its ammo pack. She handed her rifle and sawed-off to Evie before following Lee as he slithered his way towards the buildings.

Sure enough, they found that there were actually _three_ people using the area as a domicile. Two of them were on the right, huddled together against the chill of the night, while the third was off by himself pissing over the side of the hill. Lee gestured for Rachel to take the pissing one and she skulked her way through the ruins of a home with barely a sound. In fact, the man's urine hitting the rocks was actually louder than her steps. That thought sent a feeling of pride through Rachel that was increasingly common. Before she knew what was happening, Rachel had wrapped her arms around the man's throat and head. The fool was unarmed and could only grab at her forearms as she compressed his carotids. So he couldn't kick and possibly wake someone down the hill, the Ranger lifted the shorter man off his feet. Normally, she tried to hide her inhuman strength from people since it had gotten her into trouble the first few months after her exile. Somehow, she didn't think Lee would bat an eyelash at the obvious evidence that she wasn't your run-of-the-mill human. Once the raider stopped struggling, and breathing, Rachel gently lowered him to the ground.

The Ranger was not surprised to turn and find that Lee had already led the others up. Lee was certainly better at killing people in their sleep but it was risky doing someone with a knife that was awake. Rachel took pride in the fact that she could kill an alert man much more quietly than Lee could and, to her surprise, so did Lee. When he gave her a pat on the shoulder, accompanied by a tiny smile, she felt her cheeks flush.

_Asshole_, she thought in a combination of embarrassment and some other emotion she didn't want to examine too closely.

Rachel rearmed herself and followed Lee as he picked his sniping post. The sniper calmly cleared a space where he could lay prone and set up his rifle while she studied the approaches to their little hilltop. Nodding to herself, she scampered down the hillside. It was a matter of minutes to rig a trip-wire that would send a trio of fragmentation grenades into the most likely path anyone would take to get to them. When she returned to Lee's side, she hurriedly cleared a space and sat. Evie handed her the assembled missile launcher and she took it with a small smile. She placed that on her left while her spare clips for the R91 went on her right. Wolf was in cover behind an overturned dresser and peering at the town through a pair of binoculars. Evie was calmly checking the sights on her railway and then, to Rachel's disbelief, quietly began sharpening her combat knife.

_What the fuck's got into that girl?_ Rachel wondered before focusing on the task at hand.

There was very little movement in Springvale at this hour. Rachel's nightvision was not the greatest but she thought she saw someone moving with a flamer on their back through the streets in their assigned sector. The silence was suddenly broken by harsh, feminine screams and then masculine squealing.

"Fuck that whore quieter, ya piece'ah shit!" A raider screamed into the night. "Some of us got jobs ta do, asshole!"

"Go fuck yourself!" Another raider screamed back and then roared something unintelligible.

After that the only sound was the woman sobbing before a harsh slap silenced her. Rachel's hand tightened on the grip of her rifle.

"Ten minutes." Wolf said through what Rachel knew was a tight jaw. "We're gonna kill 'em all."

"Damn right." Lee growled as he eased the bolt back on his weapon.

The wait was torturous and patience had never been Rachel's strong suit. Distracting thoughts of Wolf threatened to destroy her concentration. It was an immense act of will not to let her mind wander into pleasant memories and fantasies as Echo quad waited for the appropriate hour. Finally, when Rachel thought she would explode from the building tension, Wolf spoke.

"Now."

The opening round was not fired by Lee, that came from the north, and in the form of a pair of missile contrails that shattered the quiet of predawn. Panicked, groggy shouts began to echo through the night before the explosion had faded. The flamer wielding raider made an appearance and Lee fired his first shot. A tremendous gout of liquid fire burst from the confines of the fuel tank on the man's back. There was no thunderous explosion, just the man's shrill screams as he tried to outrun the burning agony that had consumed him in pure, animal panic. Rachel noted that Lee didn't waste a bullet putting him out of his misery. A woman, wearing reinforced leather armor with a red cloth tied around her arm, emerged from the nearest intact building with something short and stubby in her arms. Lee fired again and she collapsed as though invisible strings had been cut.

Seconds later, a group of five came charging through the town on a direct path to them. They were clustered up, rather stupidly, and all of them were armed with melee weapons. Four spiked bats and some kind of spear, from what Rachel could see.

"Let them come to us, Walker." Rachel told her partner and smiled as he held his fire at her word.

That smile disappeared as the lead man hit the trip-wire and the grenades remained where they were.

_And that's why you always put them in a place you can shoot their stupid asses._ Rachel's thought occurred simultaneously with the depression of the trigger.

The grenades went off in three explosions that came so close together they could have been mistaken for a single massive one. Two of the closest raiders disappeared in a crimson cloud while the others were pushed to the ground. All three of the living ones were grievously injured if the screams were anything to go by.

"Oh, fuck! My hand! My hand!" Rachel clearly heard one of them screaming.

"I can't hear! I can't hear!" Another shouted before breaking down into choked sobs.

"Get up, you pussies!" The bravest of the bunch shouted and stood up despite the fact that he had a nasty gouge just above his right eye that was streaming blood. "Some Psycho'll fix you up!"

Lee put a .308 round right through the back of the man's head. Rachel put two bursts into the pair on the ground before Lee could fire again. Distant shouting and the _crack-crack-crack_ of sniper rifles going off nearly non-stop came to them. It seemed as though that no one else was coming to their sector.

"Money, Moon, clear that house!" Wolf ordered after a few more minutes of zero movement.

"On it! Let's go, Money!" Rachel barked as she gathered her ammo and slapped a full magazine into the R91.

Evie was quiet but had a determined demeanor as the two Rangers charged down the hill towards the dwelling where the raider with the red band had emerged. Rachel booted the woman, who's head was a pulverized mess thanks to Lee, off the porch. Evie posted on the opposite side while Rachel slipped her power fist on and slung her rifle. The pale Ranger drew her N99 and nodded to Evie. When she received a nod in return, Rachel stepped forward, and drove a servo-assisted left straight at the door. It flew off the rusted hinges and smashed a body behind it. Unfortunately, there were three others with N99s of their own trained on the doorway.

"Fuck!" Rachel screamed and dove to the side as the air around her became filled with 10mm rounds zipping past her. She wormed her way forward as more rounds passed through the wall above her. "Money!"

The railway rifle whistled three times, so quickly that Rachel was dumbstruck, and the enemy fire stopped. A surprisingly loud, liquid choking sound came from the home, the railway fired again, and there was silence. Rachel stood, N99 at the ready, and stormed into the room. She let out a low whistle at the bloody mess she encountered. One scav had gotten a spike directly to the heart judging by the entry wound and the fact that a thick spray of arterial blood had erupted from his back. The source of the choking sound became clear as another scav had been pierced through the lung. Money had finished that one off with a spike directly through the forehead. Rachel found Money standing in front of a slowly twitching body suspended a couple inches above the floor. It took Rachel a moment to understand how it had happened until she saw the hole directly through the man's eyesocket.

_The fucking spike must have drilled him through the head and nailed him to the fucking wall. Holy shit!_ Rachel backed away as the man's remaining eye rolled to fix her with a pleading expression. _He's still alive! What the fuck?_

Money calmly, far too calmly in Rachel's opinion, drew her combat knife. Instead of slitting his throat, as she half-expected, Money rammed it at a slightly upward angle into his sternum.

_Right through the heart, I bet._ Lee had been teaching them all about knife-work but Rachel would never have imagined little Evie to have taken so well to it.

Then Money promptly bent over and threw up all over the body of the scav she had lung-shot.

_Well, that's a relief. At least she didn't get the giggles._ Rachel shuddered quietly to herself and patted Money on the back as she went to clear the rest of the rooms.

The house was clear except for the unconscious body they found behind the door. It was a girl, probably no older than thirteen, that the raiders had probably been going to use as a bullet-sponge to save their own asses. Rachel went back outside to wave Wolf forward. She went to one knee next to the door and scanned the area for new threats while Wolf made her way to them. There was little she could do for the girl and so she stayed at her post while, she assumed, Money guarded the other door.

"Moon, I'm gonna stay here with the girl. Clear the rest of this sector with Money. Lee will provide overwatch." Wolf called out to her from somewhere in the house.

"Got it!" Rachel turned her head to yell back.

The Ranger smirked at the raider that had popped out from whatever hole he had been hiding in with a grenade in his hand. Before he had even reared back to throw it, a .308 round passed through his chest. Seconds later, the grenade made sure he had no chance at survival.

"You ready, Money?" Rachel asked as the woman in question came to her side.

"Locked and cocked."

"That's what I like to hear. Let's move!"

* * *

Jerry had never been plagued by dreams or nightmares for as long as he could remember. It didn't matter what fucked up things he had done or had been done to him, he just did not dream; at least, he never remembered if he did or not. This had given him the ability to wake up instantly without the sudden disorientation deep dreamers could experience. So when the building trembled and the heavens rumbled, Jerry was pushing the two new girls off the bed. He grabbed the massive blade that he had taken off of some prick with a weird accent during the big trading season and quickly scanned the room for threats.

Jerry had taken one of the smaller classrooms for his personal space and a collection of relatively clean mats was used as a large bed he shared with whatever slave-girls he picked for the night. Besides a bit of dust falling from the ceiling, the room was deathly quiet since they were fairly deep within the school.

"Wha's goin' on?" One of the women, a former caravan guard, mumbled through her swollen, purple face.

"Shut up, bitch!" Jerry kicked her in the ribs with a bare foot.

The raider leader moved to the door, heedless of his nudity, and had to jump away when the door was flung open.

"Fuck! Knock first, dumbass!" Jerry roared as his top lieutenant, Glass, charged into the room with his mini-gun in hand.

"Boss!" Glass was wearing old mercenary leathers but the red armband that let everyone know he was one of Jerry's chosen was missing. "We're under attack! They've gots missiles and mini-guns and grenades! Somebody said they even got a Fat Man!"

"Calm ya ass down, Glass!" Jerry got right up in the dark-skinned raider's face. Glass was nearly as tall as Jerry and had a patch over his left eye from where a slave-girl had gouged it out years ago. "Who's doin' it? Another raider gang?"

"I don't have a fuckin' clue, man! No one's got a clear sight of 'em! Half the men think we're being killed by ghosts!" Glass' one eye was bloodshot and the pupil seemed to be wiggling around frantically.

"How much fuckin' Jet are you on, damnit!" Jerry snarled in disgust, not because he minded drug use but he needed his lieutenants to have a clear head. "Put your goddamn armband on and get my enforcers together! We're gonna show these sum'bitches who they're fuckin' wit'!"

"Alright, alright!" Glass nodded jerkily and dashed out of the doorway in the hyperactive manner of a Jet-head.

Jerry quickly went to where his suit of metal armor was stashed on a dummy. "Girls!" He snapped his fingers and the two women quickly went to work in placing the armor on him. These two had learned quickly how to please their new master and had lasted longer than the last pair.

Once his helmet was clipped into place, Jerry smiled grimly to himself.

_Gonna make those fuckers pay._ He slipped the harness for his sword across his chest, slid on the DeathClaw gauntlet, and let a girl buckle on his sidearm.

"Stay here. Clean yourselves up. I'm gonna wanna relieve some stress when I get back." Jerry smiled as both girls subtly flinched at his words. "Glass! You'd better not be shooting Psycho!"

Jerry emerged from his room and closed the door behind him. Half a dozen big men, all decked out in black, reinforced leather armor, flanked the door. Glass, his one eye even more bloodshot than before, shrugged guiltily as he tossed an empty syringe behind his back. At least his red band was on his arm.

"Let's go!" Jerry barked, drawing his N99.

Glass led the way to a door that opened onto a balcony at the back of the school. He doubted anyone had managed to take out all the heavy security he had placed back there. Glass stepped through the door and stopped a couple of feet out of it. Jerry pushed him out of the way and could only stare in disbelief. There were no guards out back and this section of the collapsed floor was all that actually remained standing. Something had blown all the remaining supports and platforms. There were still men firing from the rubble but Jerry knew their ammo wouldn't last long at this rate.

"Glass! What the-" Jerry's words were cut off as Glass turned and then jerked to the side as a spray of blood, bone, and brains shot from his head. "Back!"

Jerry threw himself backwards just as another round sailed through the space his head had just been. It caught one of his enforcers in the neck and the man clutched the horrible wound as he stumbled forward. Jerry booted the man in the back, over the edge of the balcony, and slammed the door closed.

"Follow me! We're gonna make these fuckers pay!" Jerry roared and his men followed suit as he led them through the huge school and down to a side door they had forced open. "Big J, Lil' J! You're up!"

The twin enforcers kicked open the door, went forward with their pump-action shotguns at the ready, and were instantly riddled with 5mm rounds from a mini-gun. Jerry slammed the door closed and tried to still the furious beating of his heart.

_What the fuck is going on? Who the fuck's hitting us like this? Talon Company? No way. We haven't pissed off anyone with enough caps to afford them? Fuck!_

"What are we gonna do, Boss?" Jorge, one of his oldest enforcers, asked nervously.

"We're gonna get the fuck outta here. We can't get their asses later if we're dead now! C'mon!"

Jerry spit on the floor and tried to swallow the bile of complete and utter failure.

* * *

The gunfire had slowly died down over the last fifteen minutes by Lee's estimation. There was the occasional spat but nothing that lasted more than a few seconds. Either Jerry's raiders had run out of ammo or there weren't enough of them left to put up much of a fight.

_Probably a combination._

Rachel and Evie had cleared their remaining sector. The three women of Echo were taking cover in the first building they had cleared while they waited for orange smoke that signaled the Rangers had control of the base. Then movement from his right caught his eye and he turned to see a column of white smoke gently arcing into the sky.

_Ranger down._ Lee thought with a curse as he pushed himself to his feet and scurried down the hill.

"Comin' in!" He called out to his quadmates a moment before he barreled into the room. "We've got white smoke from the north!"

"Fuck. Go check it out. We'll be right behind you." Wolf ordered and hauled the bruised, partially nude girl that she had been speaking with to her feet.

Lee nodded and double-timed it towards the smoke. For once, he was far too slow and came to a stop as Val's screams echoed to him.

"C'mon, Adam! Fight! Fight it! Breathe! _Breathe_!"

Val was on her knees beside the too still body of Adam. Lee could tell, from the signs all around the area, what had happened. At least four men had been able to sneak up behind him. Adam had turned and managed to put several rounds into the chest of one before some kind of huge blade had pinned him to the ground through the groin. Whoever had stabbed him had dragged the blade up to shred his intestines. It looked like Val had managed to shove the intestines back inside the wound before she had tried to clamp the still oozing artery in his groin. Adam's eyes were glassy and fixed on some point far above. Lee was amazed the man had endured long enough to throw his smoke grenade, let alone the right one.

"He's gone, Val." Nails told his medic as he place a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I can save him! I just need more stimpaks!" Val turned and Lee's heart went cold at the sight of her teary visage.

The Walker dropped to a knee and studied the scene in further detail. Soon, he knew exactly how many men were left, how much weight they carried between them, and what direction they had fled in. Lita had arrived in the interval and studied the scene with hard eyes. Nails had managed to pry Val away from Adam's body finally while Brian stood guard. Lee began to remove his armor as his quad joined them with their rescue in tow.

"What the Hell are you doing, Lee?" Nails asked in confusion as Rachel immediately removed her cloak and helped him strip down to his camo pants.

"He's gonna find them and then he's gonna kill 'em." Rachel told the man as though she could read Lee's mind.

"I'll pop smoke."

Lita nodded and started stripping herself. Evie went over to help her and soon both Rangers were garbed in camo pants and a tanktop. Both were barefoot and didn't bother to explain at the strange glances Alpha Quad was giving them. Lee drew his Telly and held it in his hand; his knife and tomahawk were nestled in their sheathes at his back. Lita was content with her rifle and a combat knife. Both carried a single canteen of water. The Walker nodded at the Delta scout and they set off at a fast jog.

It was just like the old days. Lee couldn't shake the feeling as he relentlessly tracked the escaping raiders across the hardpan of the Capital Wasteland. His feet, having grown accustomed to boots, had begun to bleed slightly after a quarter mile but he ignored it. Lita kept up well, which was not a surprise to him, and he knew he could count on her when it came to it.

Soon, the duo came upon pieces of armor and equipment as the fleeing raiders tired. Lee stopped by one such pile for a quick drink from his canteen before they continued their pursuit. It wasn't long before they could hear furious arguing echoing across the relatively open terrain.

"I'm tellin' ya that we need to rest, Boss!" A rough, hoarse voice shouted. "I think Sam's about ta pass out."

"Shoot 'em up with some more Psycho!" A familiar voice barked and Lee's upper lip curled in feral anticipation.

"We used it all up the last stop, Boss! We just need to stop for ten minutes."

Lee slid to the ground and took another long swallow of water from his canteen. Lita did likewise and then looked expectantly at him.

"They're in that ravine, twenty feet ahead. I'm gonna flank 'em. You post on that rise there." Lee pointed to a small elevation of the land a hundred feet to the north. "You'll have a clear field of fire. Fire on my go."

Lita nodded and began slithering for the sniping position without a word. Lee humped his way around the edge of the ravine, careful not to raise a telltale cloud of dust, and dropped behind a boulder maybe fifteen feet from where Jerry and his men had taken refuge. The Ranger peered around the boulder and smiled grimly at what he saw. The only one wearing full armor was Jerry while his men were all bare-chested. None of them had their weapons in hand, one had even thrown his shotgun away from him as he had collapsed onto his back, except for Jerry.

"I gotta take a piss." One of the men called out and the others watched him head directly to Lee's boulder.

Lee eased his combat knife from its sheathe and calmly waited with his back to the rock. Once the man's shadow was in the correct position, Lee spun to face the raider.

"Wha-?" The raider said dumbly as Lee plunged his blade into the man's gut four times before stabbing downward into his neck.

Releasing the warcry he had learned from his mother, Lee shoved the man aside to face the three remaining. The one nearest his weapon dove for it and was reward with a .32 rifle round through the chest. The raider with a high, greased Mohawk raised his hands as though to indicate he was surrendering. Lee put a .44 round low in his gut before turning his sights on Jerry. Lee was too far away to see Jerry's expression behind his helmet but his stance was one of angry shock. A .32 round pinged off his helmet and the man barely flinched. The huge raider's body practically quivered with fatigue as he dry-swallowed a pill of some sort.

_Probably Buffout._

"I already done killed one of ya little bitches already. You look tired, son. I guess-"

The rest of Jerry's sentence was obliterated by the thunderous report of Lee's Telly. Normally, the round would have penetrated and the target would have dropped in boneless fashion. Jerry's armor was atypical in the Wastes though and the man was merely thrown off his feet as the projectile met the heavy steel chestplate. A tremendous cloud of dust arose when Jerry hit the ground. There was a moment of stillness, marred solely by the fading gunshot, before that too was shattered by manic laughter from the supine form of Jerry. He sat up, rolled over, and pushing himself to his feet with surprising agility; Lee had seen fighters wearing metal armor get to their feet in that manner because of how heavy and awkward it was.

Jerry removed the ridiculously long sword from his back and twirled it in one big hand. "I ain't wearin' all this shit for nothin', boy. I'm gonna-" The harsh _splang!_ of a bullet ricocheting from his armor was immediately followed by the report of Lita's hunting rifle. Jerry stumbled forward with a scowl. "After I get done with you, I'm gonna skullfuck that piece of shit ya brought with ya." Jerry advanced slowly now; a twisted grin just visible behind his helmet.

Lee was reasonably certain that he could have placed a round through the opening where the asshole's rotted teeth showed through. Adam deserved a more satisfactory vengeance though. Without his eyes leaving Jerry's, Lee fired his Telly and shot Jerry just above his left knee. The raider instinctively dropped his sword and clutched his quickly collapsing knee.

"You fuck!" Jerry screamed and Lee's response was to blow out his other knee.

The raider screamed shrilly and flopped to his back to relieve the stress on his destroyed joints. Lee fired two more rounds at the point where the shoulder met the bicep armor and the mighty Jerry was reduced to a mewling cripple.

"You fuck! Fuck you, motherfucker!" Jerry managed to gasp out as his blood soaked the earth.

"You remember me, pendejo?" Lee unlatched Jerry's helmet and roughly yanked it off his head. The raider boss' eyes widened as he studied Lee's face. Those same eyes tracked the progress of Lee's tomahawk as he slowly slid the haft down his fist until he was gripped the weapon near the end. "Remember what I asked you? You were wrong."

The final scream only lasted a few seconds.


	21. XXI

Lee stood for a moment just outside of the perimeter of Springvale and watched as a pair of unfamiliar faces rolled a hand-cart loaded with armor down the street that circled the school. He estimated that the round-trip had taken them somewhere in the neighborhood of three hours but it was still amazing that the Rangers had organized the looting of Jerry's band of raider-scavs so quickly.

"I have to give it to Wolf." Nathan said with a tired sigh. "She really knows how to get a ball rolling."

Lee looked to his left where Charon, Nathan and Brian had walked up to stand beside him. Lita was on his other side, so quiet that he could barely detect her. Nathan started off towards the front entrance of the school and they followed. Banger was bringing up the rear as he limped painfully from what Nathan suspected was a pulled groin. A shot of med-X had let the big merc ignore the pain to accompany Nathan and Charon as they reinforced Lee and Lita. Fortunately, the trio had not been needed after all, and had merely helped them haul back weapons and armor for resell. There were no bodies visible on the street— it seemed that getting rid of them had been a top priority— but the wide swathes of blood covering multiple surfaces around them was ample evidence of the slaughter that had taken place.

"Lee! Over here!" Evie's voice called to him from the shadows of the porch of a boarded home; followed by a harsh cough that was certainly not something he expected from the young woman.

"Wanderer?" Lee tentatively called and the man waved a hand lazily at Lee as if he were shooing him off.

Lee immediately walked towards Evie at a fast clip. She waved at him as he approached and he became aware of a thin haze of smoke that was drifting up and away from her. The lit end of a hand-rolled cigarette dangled from her lips as he came to a stop in front of her. There was something strange about the stink of the cigarette smoke but Lee couldn't quite place it. At his stare, Evie took a shaky puff that immediately set off another coughing fit.

"I don't know how people smoke these things all the time, Lee!" Evie made a face at the gently tapered cigarette. "It tastes horrible and makes my throat and chest burn!"

"Why are you smoking, bonita?" Lee kindly asked his animated friend.

Evie ducked her head in shame as she muttered, "I started to shake when I saw the bodies. Wolf gave me this cigarette and told me it could help with my nerves." The diminutive Ranger shook her head fiercely. "All it's accomplishing is making my throat burn!"

Lee smiled slightly, careful not to laugh at Evie, and said, "But your hands have stopped shaking."

Evie pulled the cigarette from between her lips and examined the hand that held it. "That's totally boss, man! I guess it does work as advertised, even if it sucks to smoke it."

"What's goin' on?" He asked Evie as he took a seat beside her.

After blowing a particularly thick cloud of smoke, she answered, "Donovan went back to Megaton and hired some wasters to haul a lot of the equipment out of here. It's all going back to Big Town though. Donovan says that we're all going to go back to Megaton once they have everything sorted out."

"Did we lose anyone besides Adam?"

Evie shook her head with a sad smile. "Just a few injuries. Donovan twisted his knee coming back from Megaton and Brick..." She paused to let out a quiet chuckle. "She got a bullet in her ass."

Lee let loose a bark of laughter that probably startled the people in range of it. "How's she taking it?"

"About as well as you would think. Butch finally just shot her full of enough med-X to put her out and we're just waiting for the go-ahead back to Megaton. That woman would just not stop bitching." Evie smiled at him before taking the last puff of her cigarette and grinding it out in the dirt.

"Rachel and Wolf?"

"I-"

"Hey, what are you two doing over there, you lazy asses!" Rachel's voice called from down the broken street. "Letting me do all the work, like usual!"

The tall Ranger sauntered up to them with a wide grin on her face which was a little off-putting considering how well armed she was. Rachel turned and sat between them with her assault rifle cradled in her arms like the only baby she would ever love. She nudged his shoulderblade with her shoulder and grinned really close to his face.

"Did he die screaming?"

"Yes."

At this announcement, Rachel's face took on a pleased, satiated expression. "Good."

"Did they have anything good?" Lee asked, nodding his head in the direction of the school.

Rachel snorted. "If you count slaves as something good. From what I've seen, they didn't have much of anything. Food, water, or ammo. They must have been counting on selling some of the women off for high prices 'cause this place looked like it could barely make it another day." She paused to take a drink from her canteen. "I can't wait 'til we get back to Megaton. Hell, I'd even settle for Big Town and that bitch instead of sitting out here frying my ass off!"

"Actually, I think your ass possibly grew slightly over the last month or so."

Lee was proud of himself as he successfully resisted the urge to laugh but he was undone at the comically affronted look on Rachel's face.

"It's not that funny!" Rachel huffed as he bent over at the waist and laughed his brains out. Now Evie was clutching her sides in mirth. "Has it really gotten bigger?" The toughest woman in Echo quad stood and started arching her back in order to get a look at her buttocks.

"If it has, piernas, it looks good." Lee straightened with a smirk and a wink.

Rachel huffed again and turned away from them both. "Yeah, well, you can both kiss my fat ass!" The tall woman bent over slightly and gave said ass several sharp smacks.

"Why're you slapping it so hard, Rach? I _knew_ you liked it rough!" Evie shouted through her laughter.

Rachel turned back around and Lee noticed that her face did seem slightly flushed. Somehow, he doubted it was from embarrassment.

"I don't even know why I put up with you two sometimes," she said as she sat back down between them.

"Because they put up with you." Wolf's stern voice came from behind them and each ducked their heads like scolded dogs. "I'm sorry to interrupt this little party but shit needs to get done. The Wanderer wants us all back in Big Town in an hour. So let's get to work."

All three knew that, when Wolf used that tone of voice, it was not the time to make snippy comments.

* * *

The reception that Reilly's Rangers received upon entering Big Town was not unexpected but it still took more than a few of their number a moment to adjust to the resounding applause that washed over them as they marched, in a single-file, across the bridge into the tiny village. To Lee's amusement, the half dozen workers Donovan had hired seemed to be eating it up as though they had actually participated in the battle. Lee was in the middle of the line, sandwiched between Rachel and Evie, and the cheers grew a bit in volume when the Big Towners saw more familiar faces besides Wolf. Echo's quadleader had been at the head of the formation with Nathan and the two were now deep in discussion with Red and Matt. Lisa was at her husband's side but the expression on her face warred between relief and extreme irritation.

_That __puta's__ probably mad that Wolf was right._ Lee thought with a shake of his head just as a wildly excited bundle of childish energy slammed into his waist.

"Lee!" Anna Polaski cried out and Lee ruffled the girl's short, dark brown hair. "I knew you'd be alright! Did you get all the bad guys?"

"Yeah, we got them all, Little Anna."

"I knew you would, no problemo!" The dazzling grin she gave him was infectious and Lee found himself returning it.

"He didn't get as many as aunt Moon!" Brucie declared from Lee's left and, when he turned to see the boy, he was not surprised to find him already clinging to Rachel's filthy armor. "She's the best Ranger!"

"No, it's Lee!" Anna stomped her foot in irritation at the younger child's obvious ignorance.

"No, it's my auntie!" Brucie wiggled free from Rachel's embrace so the two could square up, almost chest-to-chest, and glare at each other.

"No! Lee!"

"Moon!" Brucie shrieked and Lee could tell who his mother was just from the stubborn look that was being mirrored as the woman talked to the Wanderer and Wolf.

"Hey, Lee?" Lita asked shyly from behind him and he turned to meet her curious brown eyes. "I didn't know Rachel had a sister."

Lee put his arm companionably around Lita's shoulders and led her to the open area near the junk pile where they hopefully had several firepits going with some sort of food cooking.

"I'll tell you all about it but I want some food in my gut first!"

Lita ducked her head shyly and blushed. "Okay."

"The kid's right though!" Rachel exclaimed, as she placed an arm around Lee's shoulders with Evie on her other side. "I am the best!"

"In your dreams, Rach! Or did you forget, already, how I saved you?" Evie grinned and elbowed Rach in the side.

"Hey, that was a one time thing! If it happens again, I'll buy you whatever you want from Moira's!"

"It's a deal!" Evie rubbed her hands together and pulled one of the creepiest expressions Lee had ever seen her make.

"Okay, when you make that face, my asshole puckers."

"Oh, it should. It should."

Lita, to everyone's surprise, exploded into choking laughter. "You guys are a lot of fun. Thanks for trying to make me feel better."

"Uhm, we're always like this." Evie scratched her head in confusion.

The statement caused Lita to laugh harder.

* * *

Adam's funeral was short and simple, as most were for wastelanders. He had no living family that anyone knew of and had wanted a pyre so that his body wouldn't become a meal for some subterranean creature. Where they had found the accelerant for the pyre, Lee had no idea. Whatever it was, it burned white-hot; so hot that there was little left but cracked bone by the time everyone had finished speaking. To his surprise, Rachel had spoken a few heartfelt words about how selfless and genuinely caring the man had been. Once it was over, Nathan gathered the Rangers together a respectful distance from Adam's small grave. The co-commander of the Rangers stood with his hands clasped behind his back and his sunglasses shone golden in the fading light of the setting sun.

"I've consulted with Reilly and she agrees that everyone that participated in this action will receive additional hazard pay and an equal share in the spoils." Unlike a normal merc outfit, there were no overly exuberant cries of celebration. "But these folks still need more help. More medicine, ammo, better weapons, food. Whoever wants to, can donate half of their share to a town fund. If you wish to do so, raise your hand now." Lee thought he could see the glint of pride in the Wanderer's eyes as every hand was raised. "I knew each of you would do the right thing." He offered the assembled group a tight smile before moving on to further business. "Reilly and I have also decided that a mandatory forty-eight hours of R-and-R will be given out to you to do with as you please as long as you return to HQ for further assignment when it is over. Brick, you're going to need stay in Big Town for a week because of your wound."

"That's not fair!" The woman in question screamed indignantly as she balanced on her crutches.

"You're not going to be moving fast anywhere until you let your wound heal, Brick. You'd be a liability in the field and I'm not taking the risk. If you keep it up, I'll leave Charon here to babysit you."

"Damnit!" Brick spit to the side but remained silent after that threat.

"Echo will be able to pick up their share of the caps tomorrow but the rest will have to return to HQ with us." Nathan took one last, serious look around and nodded to himself. "You are the finest examples of human beings I have encountered in this Wasteland. Always remember that. Dismissed."

Lee could feel himself straightening at the words and saw that they had a similar effect on his comrades. People began coming together in groups, usually by quad, and Echo was no different. Evie, with a blushing Lita in tow, practically skipped up to him.

"Two days of excused time to not do a thing! Heavenly." Evie grinned hugely at him for a few seconds before Rachel came to a stop in front of them.

"And that's two goddamned days too many to be cooped up in those tiny houses with all these fucking people!" She winced and rubbed at a sore spot on her upper back.

"You know, you can't really rub one spot when your whole back is one bruise, piernas." Lee raised his hands in mock defense as Rachel turned a hateful gaze on him.

"Rach is right. I don't really want to be crowded into those houses with so many people here." Wolf interjected as she sauntered up. "I think we should spend the next two days at our house, guys. We can just have the Wanderer drop off our cut on the way up."

"I'm all for that, boss!" Rach exclaimed eagerly and was backed up by nods from Evie and Lee.

"Would you guys mind if I tagged along?" Lita inquired, her head ducked as though she were embarrassed.

"Why would we mind? You sure you don't mind leaving your quad behind?" Evie asked in return.

"Reiner's not exactly the life of the party and Myra will stay to make sure Banger heals up okay. There won't be much for me to do here."

_She's probably feeling shy around so many unfamiliar faces, too, and she does seem to enjoy hanging out with us._

"You can come, Lita." Wolf declared with finality. "Say your goodbyes, gather your gear, and meet me at the bridge in an hour. If you're not there, I'll leave without you. My bed's'a callin' me."

"Does it call you Wolf or Songbird?" Evie asked with a smirk and quickly scampered off with a giggling Lita in tow.

* * *

Lee flopped onto his bunk and stared at the rust-brown ceiling for a while as he listened to the effortless bantering occurring between Evie and Rach with the occasional zinger being thrown by Lita. Echo had been greeted with curious looks from Simms and Jericho as they entered Megaton but, thankfully, their questions had remained unspoken as they took in the blood-splattered armor. Wadsworth had seemed overjoyed to see them and had been trying to get them to drain their supply of pure water since they had arrived. Wolf had not let them rest on their laurels for long though. The quadleader had ordered them to organize and stow their gear before freeing them to do whatever they wanted for the night.

Once everything was settled, Lee had immediately headed for his bunk and stripped down to his underwear. He would give himself a sponge-bath in a few minutes but even the thin mattress felt like Heaven to him. This rest period did not last long as Rach, Evie, and Lita clambered up the stairs. Within seconds, Rach was pulling back his privacy curtain with a wide grin to reveal the three women in camo pants and sleeveless shirts.

"We're going over to The 'Stopper for some drinks, Lee. Wanna join us?" Evie asked, one arm around Lita's waist as though they had already been drinking.

Lee's response came quickly. "No, Evie. I just wanna wash and go to sleep. You guys have fun."

All three women pouted in nearly identical expressions and Lee couldn't help but laugh.

"You and fucking Wolf are a couple of old fucks, Lee. Damn." Rach lamented with feigned exasperation before nodding her head. "Sleep well."

Evie and Lita waved goodbye to him as they practically ran down the stairs and out the door. There were a few more minutes, during which Lee had a sneaking suspicion he had dozed off, before the Ranger scout decided he should really scrub before sleeping. Lee groaned as he sat up and grabbed the water basin from under his bed. He was still in that semi-conscious state where the only thing that mattered was your goal because he did not realize someone was taking a shower before he was already in the bathing room.

Of course, Lee had seen Wolf naked many times before but something about tonight was different. Maybe it was the residual aftereffects of the battle or his semi-conscious state where everything still seemed vaguely dream-like. Whatever it was, he found himself staring at the woman as fiery lust bloomed within his heart. There was only a single light in the room and Wolf's form danced tantalizing in the shadows. The smooth curves of her hips, rear, and chest caused the appropriate reaction in Lee and a stiff erection stretched his pants.

_Okay, Lee. Just fill the basin. __Rapido._

Lee quickly went to the faucet built into the wall for just this purpose. He thought he could feel Wolf's eyes on him as he did so but he tried to ignore it as best he could. The basin was filled mercifully quickly and Lee made his exit with only a cursory glance in Wolf's direction. Unfortunately, that was just as she bent over to scrub her feet and the sight before him caused his cock to harden even more. He tried to occupy his traitorous mind with the task of scrubbing himself clean but, for once, his mind was rebelling against him. Blood would not stop pumping furiously to keep his erection stiff and ready; there was nothing that he could think to do to stop it.

_Just follow Evie's example, __estupido.__ Just do it. Do it. Do it. Do it!_

Then it was as if Lee was possessed. No, it was as if someone had placed an engine of desire inside his body and it drove him forward to do what he normally would have been set against. The scout slid on a fresh pair of underwear and stiffly made his way to Wolf's room. He pushed aside the privacy curtain without warning and stared as Wolf hastily removed her hand from between her legs. There should have been some reaction since the women was lying on her bunk, completely naked, with her legs spread and her lips parted as she gasped for breath.

"Did'ja need somethin'?" She asked, her accent thick and her voice husky.

"Yes," Lee answered, stepping fully into the room. "You."

Wolf closed her eyes for a moment, hands clawing at the inside of her thighs, before she pinned him to the spot with a fierce stare. "Then come here."

Lee crashed down onto her, forcing a huff of air from her, and smashed his lips hungrily against hers. The feel of her breasts, heavy and heaving, caused a groan to escape his lips. Wolf's legs encircled his waist as she tried to pull him closer. She tasted like gum and something indefinable that the scout had assigned as belonging to a woman. When the grinding and mewling of the woman beneath him became too much, Lee pushed his underwear down just enough to free his leaking manhood. There was a brief moment of fumbling and then he was sinking himself inside to the hilt. Wolf hissed and her eyes rolled in her head for a moment as he began to move.

The time with Evie had earned Lee valuable skills in this area. He alternated rhythm, speed, and force to allow him to last longer and to see just what stimulated Wolf the best. To his surprise, Wolf did not last long, and she began emitting sharp, harsh cries that evolved into several convulsive grunts as she found release. With her clutching, squeezing, and making such erotic noise, Lee's release followed a moment later.

All strength seemed to leave them both. Lee barely managed to remove himself from Wolf's body before he slumped on his face to the mattress beside her. There was not really enough room for them to be on the bed side-by-side so his leg was draped over hers and one hung over the side.

"I should go." Lee mumbled in a sleepy haze.

"Yeah." Wolf agreed as her eyes slowly closed.

* * *

"I know ya've had too much ta drink if ya think thish is a good idea, Rach!" Evie called from her position slouched in a chair behind Rachel.

The Ranger in question had lost her shirt sometime during the night after Gob had asked what happened to her back and she had removed it so he could get a better look. She was wearing a stained bra so there was no reason to put it back on once everyone had seen the reddish-purple bruises that covered her back. Now her shirt was draped over one shoulder as she sat across from a grinning Venus. She could barely remember how they had gotten into this situation but she was not about to back out now.

It was late at The GobStopper and the trio of Rangers were the sole customers after Gob had kicked everyone else out at closing time. There were definite perks to being favored customers at a drinking establishment. Lita and Ollie had kicked up a friendship pretty quickly. Ten minutes after closing, they had disappeared upstairs to Ollie's room and had not returned. Rachel figured that they were both sound asleep and doubted if they had even had the energy to fuck. Lita had looked exhausted by the time she had left with the young bartender.

"Don't hurt 'er, V." Gob called out from his position by the bar as he finished wiping down the bar.

Nova had disappeared into her room with a john a few minutes after the Rangers had arrived and had not emerged once the grizzled waster made his way out of the 'Stopper. Rachel and Venus had shared a laugh at the red-headed whore. The co-owner found Venus annoying and Rachel infuriating so it was no surprise that she wanted to avoid their company.

"So, come on then, you pasty bitch." Venus', garbed in leather pants and a halter top, beckoned and placed her elbow on the table with her hand hovering at about shoulder height.

"Ready whenever you are, ya rotten whore." Rachel was proud that her speech wasn't horribly slurred as she grabbed the offered hand.

The human could feel the power in the ghoul's grip as they squared off. Evie put her shotglass of whiskey down long enough to place her small hands on top of theirs.

"Go!" She shouted with a grin before releasing them.

Rachel felt Venus putting forth a half-assed effort to push her hand to the table. She resisted in likewise fashion and smirked when the ghoul's eyes widened in shock.

"You're stronger than you look." Venus stated with a wrinkled brow.

"I guess you're gonna have to get serious." Rachel stuck her tongue out and grinned cheekily.

The Ranger put all her hidden strength into the effort to best Venus. Here, surrounded by people she trusted and slightly intoxicated, there were no concerns about being ostracized. Venus and Gob's eyes both threatened to pop from their skulls as Venus' arm began to slowly tilt downwards.

"Holy shit!" Evie exclaimed. "You're doing it!"

Venus' eyes narrowed and her forearm bulged obscenely. Normally, Rachel could see the knowledge in the ghoul's rheumy eyes, a human's arm would have probably been broken with the strength that Venus was exerting. Instead, all that happened was Rachel's progress being brought to a trembling halt. The two women stayed in that stalemate position for a long minute before the ghoul's stamina won out. Rachel's muscles began to wear out and Venus revered their positions with determined effort. The Ranger's teeth were gritted with frustration as she tried to will energy to her exhausted muscles. It was useless and, before Rachel knew what was happening, her knuckles were hitting the table.

"Ha! I won! Ow!" Venus' scowled comically as she rubbed her bicep and forearm. "I've never met a human woman that strong!"

"They don't make 'em like me!" Rachel crowed and then grimaced at the ache in her own arm. "Evie, why the fuck did'ja let me arm wrestle a fucking ghoul?"

"I'm drunk." Evie replied in honest assessment. "And tired. Let's go home."

"Yeah." Rachel yawned and placed her hands on the table to help her stand. That simply movement caused a lance of pain to shoot from her back to the tips of the fingers of the arm she had been wrestling with. "Man, Wolf's gonna be so mad at me."

"Ha! What is she? Your momma? A momma wolf?" Venus chortled and patted Rachel gently on her less sore shoulder. "It was a good time, Rach. Thanks for comin' by. It gets so boring sitting around listening to Nova bitch."

Rachel chuckled and nodded. "I know exactly what you mean. We'll probably stop by tomorrow night. See you then!"

"'Bye, Gob!" Evie waved enthusiastically at the ghoul as they left the 'Stopper.

The trip back was quick and both Rangers stumbled up the stairs after they refused Wadsworth's offer of detox pills. Rachel, as she sat on her bed removing her pants, noticed that Lee's bunk was empty.

"Hey, Evie!" She called. "Did Lee pass out in your bunk?" It hadn't happened before but you never knew what someone on the edge of exhaustion might do in their stupor.

"No. He's not in his." Evie tottered offer in a pair of underwear and looked at his bunk. "That's weird. I'm gonna see if Wolf knows where he is."

Rachel got up to follow the engineer and almost ran into her back as she stopped in the entryway of Wolf's room with the privacy curtain pushed to the side.

"What the fu-?" Rachel's sentence died in her mouth as she peered over Evie's head and her heart seemed to die.

Wolf and Lee lay in a tangle of limbs and sheet on Wolf's cot. The room reeked of sex and their naked forms left no room for interpretation of what had happened.

_Is this why she wanted to stop? Because she was fucking Lee? Because she loves Lee and doesn't love me?_ Tears threatened to form but Rachel wouldn't allow it. Evelyn preempted Rachel before she could rudely awaken the two and her reaction was not what Rachel had expected.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Finally!" Evie screamed with joy and Lee bolted upright in the bed.

"What's going on?" Memory quickly returned to him and he looked down at Wolf as she slowly put her feet on the floor and ran her hands through her hair. "Oh, shit! I can explain!"

"What's to explain!" Evie shouted. "Now we can do it all we want!" The overly enthusiastic Ranger leaped on the bed and hugged Lee tightly.

Wolf rose to her feet with a squeak as Evie's presence forced her off the bed. "What the fuck are you talking about, Evie?"

"We did it while you two were gone!" Evie grinned like a little kid as she dropped that bombshell. "We didn't want to mess things up so we kept it quiet. But, now that you two have, I guess it's okay. So we can do it when we want to now! It's great!"

"You surprise me more with every day that I know you, Evie." Wolf rubbed her chin and smiled. "Rachel and me did it, too."

Now it was Lee's turn to go bug-eyed as he stared at Rachel and Wolf. Evie squeaked again and promptly hugged Wolf. "That's great!"

Wolf laughed and tousled Evie's hair. "You're really not right, little Evie."

"I've heard that before." Evie said with a self-conscious smile.

"I'm going to bed." Rachel told them, realizing her voice was probably toneless and not caring.

Rachel mechanically walked to her bunk and laid on her side facing the wall. Tears, held back for too long, began to fall.

_That's right. No one's ever going to love me most of all. It was stupid of me to think like that. I bet Lee's laughing his ass off remembering how I threw myself at him. That motherfucker thinks he's so smooth. I bet he's been planning this all along. _That thought froze the tears as a white-hot inferno of rage threatened erupted deep inside her. _That's what it is. He's going to create his own little harem. Just like Toshiba. That's not me. He's not going to have us all pregnant and serving him like good little wives. I'm not giving him my life or my heart. Fuck him and fuck them if they fall for that shit._

It did not matter that Lee's behavior did not support any of her conclusions. The fear and shame that Rachel associated with the Shining Mountain Clan was so ingrained that it clouded her every thought. She was aware of it but could not stop the runaway train of negative emotion. She froze as someone flopped into the bunk beside her and hugged her around the waist.

"I've never been so happy, Rach." Evie whispered in her ear. "We're going to be so happy together. One big family. Forever." Tears, they could only be tears, started to hit Rachel's cheek. "I never thought I could be so happy. That I could find people that just loved me for me. I just... I love you guys more than I love my own family. How fucked up is that?" Evie laughed and moved away. "I'm sorry for crying on you." She wiped the tears from Rachel's cheek. "Just promise that we'll always stay together, Rach. Please?"

Rachel's heart was breaking all over again at the pleading, quivery sound of Evie's voice.

"I promise." She heard herself whisper and then Evie was hugging her again.

"Thank you."

_I'll decide what to do in the morning._ With that settled, she fell into a troubled slumber filled with strange dreams of blood, death, laughter, and love.


	22. XXII

Lee awoke to the smell of cooking breakfast: grits, toasted bread, and the thin slices of ant meat that Rachel couldn't get enough of. Wolf had a way of preparing the ant meat that tasted delicious and, from Lee's observations, did so when she was trying to appease a particularly grumpy Rachel. The Ranger's mental musings brought the reality of last night crashing down on him in an instant of unwelcome clarity. He slid his legs over the side of his cot and sat with his head hung low as he quietly groaned.

_What the fuck was I thinking? Goddamnit. I fucked it all up. No way they're all going to stand for it. I'm just gonna have to transfer out. Fuck. Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

Lee was so caught up in his musings that he didn't even notice when his privacy sheet was thrown to the side. He could not help but be aware when a hundred pounds of excited female pushed him so that his back was pressed against the wall. Quicker than he thought possible, Evie had closed his little bedroom off and sat directly on his lap. He moaned as he took in the sight of her bare breasts and his lower half grew in response to the heat that was coming through her gray panties.

"Wha-?" Before he could finish his thought, Evie was capturing his mouth with hers.

For a moment, Lee reacted instinctively as the ravenous woman began undulating her bottom against him. His hands squeezed her waist just above her hips and he bit her bottom lip in the way that caused her to moan; moan she did, and that broke Lee from his spell. He pushed her off gently and steeled himself against the disappointed look she was giving him.

"Did'ja just wake up?" He asked, groggily and not a little lustily.

"Yeah." She answered him with a slow, syrupy smile.

"Okay, why're you in my bunk?"

Evie cocked her head to the side. "You know I like to do it when I wake up."

"I thought we said we were gonna stop." He thought she might be angry with him but, instead, she laughed.

"We did but now we don't have to." Now she grinned smugly. "Or are you going to pretend you don't remember anything? Because, if I recall, Rachel and me were the drunk ones."

Lee frowned in discomfort."Yeah, I remember."

"Well, I figured we could get a quickie in before breakfast. We've gotta be fast... and I guess quiet." The last part was said with a pout as Lee had discovered that little Evie could be a real screamer when she was hot-to-trot.

"Hey, easy, bonita. I think we all should talk about this first. Last night... well, it shouldn't have happened. I wish it hadn't happened."

Evie's eyes widened and immediately became watery. No tears fell, though, and she simply stared down at Lee. "How could you say that? You love Wolf. I know you do. She loves you. We all love each other. Like a family."

"Families don't have sex with each other." Lee informed her tonelessly, his mind in disbelief that he was even having this conversation.

"Well, we should be the kind that does! We're not related and it should be okay if we fuck each other, goddamnit!" Now her voice was growing louder but she apparently either didn't care or realize.

"Calm down, Evie. It'll be okay. We just need to talk about things. See where the others stand."

Evie nodded and moved herself off of him. She stood in front of the cot and rubbed her hands over her arms. "You don't regret what we did, do you?"

Lee grabbed one of her hands in both of his and lowered his forehead to the clasped pile. "No. Never."

There were a few moments of silence, broken by the occasional sniffle, before Evie pulled her hand away. "Okay. Let's get breakfast and see what the others are up to?"

"Sounds like a plan, bonita." Lee agreed with a small smile that vanished the moment she turned around to reveal her shapely backside.

Lee kept his groan of disappointment mental as he stood and followed Evie downstairs to where Rachel had already set the table. He wasn't surprised to find Lita sitting at the table in the same clothes she had worn out last night. Unsurprisingly, the Delta Quad Ranger was not batting an eyelash at all the naked flesh her comrades were displaying. Rachel was quiet as she adjusted the sling on her right arm. That immediately set alarm bells off in Lee's head. Every morning they had spent in their little sub-HQ, Rachel had been the one keeping lighthearted chatter going. It was very out-of-character for the volatile young woman to be so silent; especially given the events of last night.

Wolf brought a big pot of grits over to the table and it smelled absolutely wonderful to Lee. There was no doubt that there were dead insects in the stew, they were almost impossible to completely remove from any of the southern grains, but that mattered little to a waster. He quickly went forward to grab the hot loaf of bread off the stove while Evie snatched up the plate of ant meat strips. A pitcher of water had already been set on the table.

"Is that pure?" Lee asked as he took a seat.

"No, but it's pretty low." Wolf answered with a shrug and poured herself a glass.

No one commented further on the radioactive nature of their liquid refreshment as they dug into the similarly lightly irradiated food. Lita and Evie picked up a light conversation about Lita's night with Ollie. The young Delta Ranger was obviously smitten with the bartender and couldn't keep the grin off her face. It made her full cheeks stand out even more; which just increased her cuteness in Lee's opinion.

Lita stood once the meal was finished. "Where's the washroom again?"

"I'll show you." Evie leaped up and put an arm around her friend's shoulders. "You'll have to use one of my towels to dry off though."

"Don't you remember? I air dry."

"If you really want to stand outside, naked as a mole-rat, be my guest." Evie chuckled and goosed Lita.

"Hmmm, maybe you have a point."

A heavy, pregnant silence descended upon the table after the two girls departed. Rachel's head was still hung as Wolf began to clear the table. Lee stood to help her and it was then that he noticed both women had sleeveless tops on. It was strange that them not having their breasts bare would set off alarms in his head but the fact definitely did. Evie sat back down shortly before the table was cleared off all but the pitcher of water. Lee took his seat as Wolf cleared her throat and remained standing at the kitchen end of the table.

"I guess we should talk about what happened last night." Wolf started and Evie snorted in a very Rachel-like fashion.

"I don't see what we have to talk about. You did it. We," Evie pointed to herself and then Lee, "-did it. You guys," that was said with a finger waving between Rachel and Wolf, "-did it. Now that it's all out in the air, we should be able to do it when we want to."

With that said, Evie sat back with a fearsome scowl across her face.

"It's not that simple, Evie." Wolf told her with sad eyes.

"Why can't it be?" That was said in almost a pleading tone.

Wolf's eyes darted to Rachel, who still had her head down as though the weight of the world were on it, and Evie slapped her hands down on the table.

"Rach, what's wrong?" She snapped and Lee was beginning to suspect that maybe little Evie was far more emotionally disturbed that any of them had realized.

That seemed to hurl Rachel out of her robotic state. She raised her head, eyes wide, and looked around suspiciously.

"Nothin's wrong." She replied tonelessly and without even a hint of a swear word.

"That's crap. You didn't even snap or curse me for yelling at you." Evie's tone softened. "Are you really taking it that hard?"

"What are you talking about?" All expression had drained from Rachel's face the longer she stared at Evie; it was as though she were responding to a stranger.

"You know what!" Evie snapped. "Don't act like you don't." The diminutive Ranger's voice quavered on her last few words and her eyes began to shine wetly.

"I'm _fine_." Rachel placed just the slightest bit of emphasis on the final word before standing quickly. "I'm gonna go for a quick run and then head over to The 'Stopper."

Before any of her three quadmates could protest her hasty exit, Rachel was closing the door behind her. They sat in a stunned, dreary silence broken only by the soft sounds of Lita's shower for several moments before Wolf cleared her throat.

"I think we should try to avoid any displays of affection in front of Rachel for the time being. At least until we get this all figured out." Wolf sighed softly and shook her head. "I should have known this would happen."

"Me too, Wolf. I'm sorry." Lee hung his head; the weight of regret like a physical presence hanging from his neck. "I just... something came over me."

"Yes, you were both horny and fucked. Big fucking deal!" Evie growled and pounded her fist on the table. "I don't know why Rach always has to make things difficult! What the hell's her problem anyway?"

The answer, once Lee thought about it, wasn't hard to come up with.

"I think it was how she was raised. When she was arguing with that man from her homeland, she made it sound like he was just gonna use her for breeding stock. The woman he had with him seemed to be going along with it but I think that's why Rach was kicked out. She didn't wanna go along with just being another babymaker for some pendejo."

Wolf groaned and placed both hands on her forehead. "I should have thought of that. She told me a little about that guy. I don't know why I didn't put two-and-two together. Sonofabitch!" Wolf slapped both palms into her forehead a couple of times before cupping her cranium again. "Alright, this is what we do. No more sex for the immediate future. Period. We try to act like everything was before; don't throw it up in Rach's face. Lee," Lee perked up as Wolf fixed him with a direct stare. "Do everything you can to reassure Rach that you're not trying to have your own little harem of women."

"Okay, but what's a harem?"

Evelyn laughed and smiled at him. "That means when a man or a woman has multiple people serving their needs sexually. At least, that's how most people look at it but the reality is that it's a necessary evil when the gender disparity is so large in many places."

"Okay. You lost me at the end there. Dispari-what?" Lee felt glad that it was Wolf that said it and not him.

"Some places have lots of women but little men and vice versa. So, in those instances, it's only natural for a man to have multiple partners or wives. It's a little different when there aren't any women and lots of men. Then it usually is about sexual gratification as opposed to population raising. At least, that's what I read." Evie finished with a self-conscious shrug.

Lee understood the gist, if not all the long words Evie had thrown out, and knew from firsthand experience that what she said was true. His family had encountered more than a few villages where there was one man for every four women. Sometimes the men were likeable sorts doing what they could to ensure the community survived by spreading their seed but, more than half the time, the men treated the women as though they were an easily replaceable commodity. It had always saddened even a young Lee when he had realized that the women usually saw themselves that way as well.

"She doesn't have to worry about that." Lee told the remaining ladies. "I've seen that before and, if you're not a giant asshole, it's a lot of fucking work keeping more than one woman happy. Hell, making one happy is harder than hell." Both sets of eyes turned to fix him with baleful glares. "What'd I say?"

"Don't worry, Lee." Wolf said sweetly. "Just keep talking like that and she can't possibly think you're trying to get _a_ woman."

"No need to be nasty, Wolf." Lee crossed his arms and dropped his head low.

"Aw, don't pout, Lee." Evie said, that strange husky tone entering her voice again. "I'd let you get me right now if it wasn't 'allowed'."

"Okay, enough of that." Wolf quickly deflected that line of conversation. "Since Rachel decided to take her leave, we're going to do her a favor and clean her gear. No complaints!" The quadleader snapped before the groan that was forming in Evie's throat could escape. "I want everything cleaned, estimates on repair costs, and inventory done by the time The Wanderer shows up."

"Well, can Lita help?" Evie's question came out in a decidedly sullen tone.

Wolf noticeably widened her eyes, something Lee knew she did when she was resisting rolling them, "If you can talk her into it."

"Ha! Let's get started then." Evie's eyes narrowed slightly in that mischievous way that always brought a smile to Lee's lips. "You have any more of those cigarettes, Wolf?"

Wolf laughed and shook her head.

* * *

"That Wanderer really does have some big, fucking balls, doesn't he?" Jericho's voice was tinged with healthy doses of both disdain and awe. "Who the fuck goes _into_ goddamn downtown this close to dusk?"

Lee took a glance at the sun, maybe three hours past noon, and shrugged. "If you'd ever seen Charon, The Wanderer, and the rest in action, you would feel sorry for whatever gets in their way."

Lee watched Nathan and his group of Rangers rounding Megaton's wall before he turned back to Wolf as she talked to Lita. The Wanderer had arrived, as promised, and managed to haggle out a great deal with Moira for all the loot they had salvaged. Of course, Moira now had next to zero in spendable caps but Gob was always more than happy to help out in that regard since the ghoul seemed obsessed with stockpiling ammo, weapons, and armor lately as soon as Moira got any in. Echo had received their share, to be divided up among them later, as well as the donations for Big Town. They also had a list of supplies that the Big Towners needed and it seemed as though Wolf was intent on delivery tonight. Lita was in agreement so she could check on her injured quadmate.

"Lee, go get Rachel from The 'Stopper and let her know what the plans are and that we're movin' out in an hour." Wolf ordered as she stepped back inside the gates.

"Man, kid, I don't know how you do it." Jericho shook his head in disgust. "Letting those gashes order you around like that? That's what's wrong with all you punks comin' up nowadays. Bastards ain't got no balls or, if ya do, ya let bitches take 'em. In my day, out in the Waste, we would take turns plowing that big-breas-" The rest of Jericho's disgusting reminiscence was cut off as Lee stepped up until he was almost nose-to-nose with the taller man.

"You really don't want to finish that sentence, amigo." Lee whispered in a throaty growl.

"Jesus, kid. No need to get all intense about it. I was just sayin'." Jericho backed off as he scratched his perpetual stubble, coughed up a thick wad of mucus, and spit it to the side. "You been hanging around that tall one too much, Lee. Jesus."

Lee nodded. "She's a lot of fun if she doesn't hate your guts."

As Lee stepped back into Megaton, a frown formed as he thought that he was now included in the circle of people whose guts Rachel hated. The realization left cored a deep pit in his heart as he made his way to the bar. Many of the townspeople greeted him by name and wanted to pat him on the back for taking care of those raiders. No one that lived in a community would shed a tear over any wasteland raider and, in fact, the elimination of an entire gang was a cause for celebration. So it came as no surprise to Lee that he found Rachel surrounded by several men dressed in dusty canvas pants and torn, off-white T-shirts who were keeping a steady supply of alcohol coming to her as she slumped in her seat at the bar.

"Is everything alright with her, Lee?" Venus asked from her post beside the door. "She's been sitting in that same seat since she got here. I've never seen her get so drunk that I couldn't understand what she was saying. Sometimes I can but then it gets like this rapid-fire gibberish. Those bastards at the bar think they can get lucky if they get her drunk enough but-" Venus raised her hands to place them on the back of her head as she rolled her neck. "-I'll fix that notion. Real fast."

"Thanks but I'll take it from here." Lee fixed the ghoul woman with a tiny smile and made his way over to the raucous celebration that, for once, Rachel wasn't an active participant in. He could tell, just from the way Rachel turned to fix him with watery, unfocused eyes, that the pale Ranger was far more drunk than he had ever seen her. "Time to go, piernas."

"Ya thank ya can boss me aroun' now, Lee? Baka, ish tha wha ya think? I ain't never gonna be your fuckin-" Then, of all things to do, Rachel lurched forward, rested her head on Lee's shoulder, and promptly started snoring.

"What the fuck is this, man?" One of the locals at the bar, a scrawny little shit named Roger that lived in the Common House if Lee remembered correctly. "This bitch drinks all our drinks and then leaves with this fucker?"

"C'mon, Rog." The smartest one of the bunch was also, oddly enough, the one that most looked like he had been in more than a few fights judging by the sunken knuckles Lee could see as plain as day on both hands. "That guy's one of those Rangers, too, and you remember what happened the last time Venus had to kick you out."

Rog, lost in his own alcohol-fueled delusion, shrugged his bigger friend's hand from his bicep. "Fuck that ghoul bitch and fuck this skinny bitch and her short, -"

"Alright, Roger, tha's enough outta ya." Gob poked his head out of the backroom and nodded at Venus. "Escor' 'im out but if he tries some shit like last time...break one of 'is thumbs."

That seemed to penetrate the alcoholic haze Roger was swimming in. "Hey! What'ah minute now!" Roger screeched as though Venus had already broken his thumb when she grabbed him by the elbow and the back of his neck. The ghoul woman led him out headfirst and didn't even try to conceal her amusement as she "accidentally" rammed the top of his skull into one of the swinging doors. Roger's companions chuckled as he let out a girlish yell and followed him out.

Venus returned a couple minutes later and dusted herself off. "Roger's usually not _that_ bad. Poor guy must have blown all his cash on Nova and gotten a shitty fuck out of it or something." The woman looked at Rachel in concern for a moment before returning her gaze to Lee. "You sure she's okay?"

"I'll get her sorted out, Venus. Thanks for watching her."

"No problem, Lee. Catch ya later."

Rachel looked up groggily and began moaning, "Chigau... chigau..." Lee sighed and picked her up in a fireman's carry over his right shoulder. She struggled furiously for a moment and then screamed. "Chigau yo! Chigau yo!"

"No comprende, Rach." Any reply to his comment was lost as Rachel stilled into limp unconsciousness.

Lee nodded to Venus as she held the door open and slowly made his way back home. There weren't many people out and about but the few there were didn't even give him a second glance. He didn't know if it was because of Echo's reputation for being upstanding people or if it was the typical 'mind your own damn business' attitude that people growing up in the Wasteland developed as a survival strategy. Either way, the Ranger was glad no one bothered him as he was already starting to feel despondent at having driven someone he considered a friend into this state. He did pass Lucy West on his way up the final rise and was gifted with a disgusted glare as he smiled politely in greeting. Wolf waited for him at the top and shook her head at the retreating woman's back.

"She's madder'en hell, Lee. Thinks we should have left all those people to die and delivered her fucking message." Wolf looked like she wanted to spit. "What a fucking cunt."

_Oro must really be pissed about the Rachel thing if she's spitting out curses like Rachel now._

"So I guess that'll be the first priority then?" Lee asked as Wolf pulled the door open for him.

"Yeah. We'll head out day after tomorrow. I'm not cutting our R-and-R short for her dumb ass." Wolf followed Lee up the stairs and to Rachel's bunk. "She alright?" The medic asked as Lee set her down and she began to examine the colorful assortment of bruises on Rachel's back.

"Yeah. She just got pissy drunk. Sometimes its not so good that Gob'll let us get that free bottle of gutrot every week if we want it. Then, on top of that, she had a bunch of Commoners tryin' to get into her pants." Lee watched somberly as Wolf tenderly smoothed back Rachel's ebony hair.

"What are we gonna do, Lee?" Wolf whispered in a voice laden with dread for the future.

"Work. Wait. Watch." Lee replied slowly. "What else is there? I think you made the right decision. You're a good leader."

Wolf snorted bitterly. "Yeah. One that fucks two of her team and still-" Her words cut off so quickly that Lee feared she had bitten her tongue in half along with her words. "Anyway, I think Rach is probably done for the day. It'll just be me, you, and Lita. Evie will stay here and watch her. Go gear up."

Lee nodded and headed over to his own bunk but not before he caught Wolf leaning down to plant a soft kiss on Rachel's forehead.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Translations:**

**"Baka": "Fool"/"Idiot"**

**"Chigau/Chigau yo" : "Not me."/ "That's not me! (emphatic)"**

**It's been awhile since I updated, I know, but thanks for all the reviews and polite requests for me to get my ass back to work. This was a shorty but I'm trying to get away from a lot of filler that is not absolutely necessary to tell the story. Sometimes it'll happen but I'm making a conscious effort to cut down on it. So, possibly, the updates will come faster but the chapters will be shorter. Who knows.**

**Special ShoutOuts to my Beta, MooJuice, and M'jai, who provided the nifty Japanese phrases that Rachel may be spouting from time-to-time.**

**Hope everyone continues to enjoy!**


	23. XXIII

" I wish you could stay more." Annabelle whispered in Lee's ear as he gave her a parting hug.

"Me too, Little Anna." The Ranger released her and settled his pack into a better position. "But we've got a job to do out there."

The little girl gave him a piercing, unblinking stare that was eerily reminiscent of Rachel's before nodding and scampering back towards what everyone was now calling the town square. In reality, the original Big Town was still the most defensible place to be in the ruins, but there was only so long that so many adults would pack that closely together when there were a multitude of easily rebuilt homes waiting for residents.

Echo Quad had made this stop at Rachel's request since she hadn't gotten to visit Big Town on the trip before. Delta was on their way back to their own hub while Brick was, surprisingly, busy testing Georgia to see if the girl had what it took to replace Adam. Lee had no doubt that Georgia would pass all the annoying little tests that Brick had cooked up and would be a welcome addition to the Rangers. All four Rangers had been floored when Dice, of all people, had asked to take those same tests. On Wolf's advice, Brick had held off on testing Dice until she was fully clean for at least a couple of weeks. That had led to a furious argument between Dice and Wolf that had resulted in Wolf taking Dice by the arm to have a talk with her alone. When they emerged, Lee was amused to see how suitably chastised the former raider seemed. Evie had made herself busy for the couple hours they had stopped over by reviewing how the work shoring up the town's defenses was going. Lee had been busy answering all manner of question from Anna, her parents, and the Brumfields.

Rachel was the one sore spot on this trip, and not because of her treatment of Brucie. For some reason, the woman was suddenly overcome with motherly feelings for the boy. She had fussed over him for a few moments, to the extreme displeasure of his actual mother, before offering to teach him how to throw a punch. Brucie had literally leaped at the opportunity and the two had situated themselves in the clear area that had once contained the junk pile. The reason she was a sore spot was because of her treatment of her fellow Echo Rangers. She only spoke to them when she had to and even then it was in a terse monotone that was somehow far worse than when she yelled at them. There was also the look in her eyes. A vacant, vaguely hurt look that she wore whenever her eyes lingered on any of them for longer than a second. That, more than anything, cast a pall over all they did.

"Thanks for showing me, Auntie!" Brucie beamed up at the much taller Ranger.

"No problem, squirt." Rachel accompanied the statement with an intense hair-ruffling. Brucie made a face but didn't move to stop her. "How about a hug before I go?"

The answer came quickly and non-verbally as Brucie lifted his arms in front of him before the last word left her mouth. Rachel scooped the boy up and he cling to her backpack as though it was the only thing that mattered in the world. She hugged him back fiercely, closing her eyes against the focused stare Evelyn was giving her from across the room, and actually smiled for one brief second. Finally, she set the boy on his feet and watched with that same tiny smile on her face as he ran to rejoin Anna.

"You're really good with him." Lee commented as she turned to rejoin the waiting quad.

Rachel grunted and moved to take her position in the formation. She had procured a pair of worn, tinted goggles from Moira and slid them down over her eyes when it looked as though Evie wanted to say something to her.

_Jesus. Now I know how they felt when I wasn't talking to them._

"Looks like we're all set, Lee. Let's move out." Wolf ordered after casting a sad look in Rachel's direction.

_Man, __I __hope __she __snaps __out __of __it __soon,_ Lee thought as he began walking toward their next destination.

* * *

Lee brought the quad to a halt just below a rise in the landscape that would bring them in view of Arefu and where anyone manning the guard post would have a clear shot at them.

"What's the situation?" Wolf asked immediately after taking a quick sip from her canteen.

They had been marching for maybe three hours; one and a half of which had been waiting for a decently-sized group of raiders to vacate an area. Lee knew that these particular raiders were based out of a pre-War sports field of some sort. He made a mental note to scout the location so he could add it to the quad's tally for the week.

"Somethin's wrong. They used to have five, six brahmin in a pen by the house. Now there's nothin' but bones. To the east, they had a small crop of wheat; it looks like it hasn't been tended in weeks."

"Raiders?" Evie asked as she chewed on a toothpick.

Lee shook his head, "Those raiders we passed would be the most likely suspects but they didn't look like they had scored that big."

"Alright. The mission hasn't changed." Wolf nodded slowly as she spoke. "We still need to confirm if any of the Wests are still alive. We move out. Six-meter spread. Don't take any hostile action unless provoked."

Evie snorted as she tossed away her toothpick while Rachel looked on dispassionately. Lee nodded and topped the edge of the rise. Arefu was a town built on top of one of the skyroads. There had been nearly a dozen people living here, four more in the house beside the brahmin pen, the last time Lee had visited over a year ago. Now it seemed as though it was a ghost town. The pen's rusty gate squeaked as it was blown back and forth by a quietly groaning wind.

"This is creepy." Evie whispered but her railway rifle didn't shake at all as she held it at the low ready.

Lee agreed but didn't voice it as he passed beneath the shadow of the overpass in a search for explosives. Thankfully nothing was found that would result in Ranger bits being scattered across several miles. Upon setting foot on the ramp leading up to the town proper, Lee came to an immediate halt.

"What is it?" Wolf asked, her voice tense as she drew her sidearm.

"Mine. There." Lee pointed to the telltale red light blinking in the dark shadows cast by a cleverly disguised pile of rubble.

"Moon." Wolf called, and Rachel plodded over, nothing like her usual graceful, stalking walk.

She squatted down for a few moments before standing with a shake of her head. "Remote. Someone's watching us probably."

"Ah." Lee sighed with relief. "I know this guy. Want me to make introductions, boss?'

Wolf only took a second to answer. "Do it."

Lee rose to his full height and bellowed. "Hey, King! King!"

"Who the fuck is that!" The voice that answered sounded exhausted and dehydrated.

"It's Lee! I'm amazed you haven't kicked the bucket, you old geezer!"

"That's because you're a stupid-idiot, kid!" Now the voice sounded a little bit more energetic. "What are you doing out here?"

"Lucy West, back in Megaton, hired the group of mercs I'm with now."

"You and mercs go together like my dick and a mirelurk, Lee! What outfit are you with? If you say Talon Company, I'll do you a favor and put a bullet in your head."

Lee laughed. "No. You probably never heard of us. Reilly's Rangers."

"You mean that Reilly that fought off a hundred Muties just to get help for her men. I heard on the radio just yesterday that they busted up a big ring in a battle near Megaton. _Those_ Rangers?"

"Si!"

"I'm even more glad to see you then, kid. Come on up."

Lee turned back to his companions. "Let's go. Just keep in mind that some of these guys were a little weird to begin with. No telling how fucked in the head some of them are now."

The scout led the way up the ramp to where a man with the kind of nut-brown, wrinkled skin you got from far too much time spent outdoors squinting into the sun was keeping watch. He was dressed in an old, but well-maintained, set of mercenary leathers with a flak jacket covering them. King set his scoped .308 rifle down next to a Chinese-style assault rifle and rose to shake Lee's hand in a powerful grip. As usual, his eyes widened slightly as he realized that Lee's companions were all attractive women.

_Thanks God he's not the type to give me a bunch of shit about it._

"What's happened here, Evan?" Lee asked, taking one of the empty chairs scattered around this area. From what he remembered, three people were supposed to be on watch at all times. Evie and Wolf joined him in sitting while Rachel stood sentinel with her R91 clutched in both hands. "I remember it being a bit more lively than this."

"Son, I don't even know where to begin." Evan leaned over the edge and spit. "First, it was a group of raiders from further west. They killed poor Karen Schenzy's man a couple months after you left. We managed to cut a deal with them after we offed about half of 'em. Food in exchange for them leavin' us alone. Any of you have a cigarette?" He sighed as they all shook their head. "Well, one day we come outside and find all ten of the rest of the gang laid out in front of the damn ramp. Each and every one had their throats ripped out."

"Someone slit their throats to send you a message?" Lee ventured and frowned as Evan shook his head.

"No, son, I said _ripped_. Old Doc Nano said that she thought they'd been done by human teeth." Lee nodded in understanding. There were lots of people that turned to cannibalism as an easier way to fill their bellies. "Well, not long after that, a couple of strangers showed up one night. We figured they hadn't been able to make it too far before full dark hit. That lasted 'till they started showing up every few days after the sun went down. We stopped letting them up when I found one of them on top of Stacy with blood leaking out of her neck. She said that she let him do it but I doubt that. Then they started demanding that we give them free run of the town if we wanted to stay protected. I told them to go to Hell if they thought I was going to let them eat my people." Lee chuckled and nodded at the man. He had always appreciated Evan's will. "A month ago, about five or six of them showed up and started carryin' on. I told them to go to Hell and let the Devil fuck them up the ass and this white-haired bastard went crazy. All I could hear were the screams from the animals and the squabbling among 'The Family', as they call themselves. That fucker killed all the damn Brahmin, even when the leader started screamin' for him to control hisself."

Evan sighed and removed the wide-brimmed hat he was wearing to reveal a light gray bandana. "Not long after that, most the town up and took off in the middle of the day. Hearing those animals dying scared a lot of people." The mayor/strongarm of Arefu shuddered before continuing. "There's only a few people left in town and they're too afraid to come out of their houses. If only I was younger and back with a team, I'd ventilate all those fuckers."

Lee leaned back in his chair and shared an amused glance with Wolf.

_I wonder how long it'll take him to get the courage to ask._

"Don't smirk at each other like that. You'll get customers backs up and then they won't hire you." Evan snickered at their chagrined expressions. "I got around when I was young, too!"

"Right. First, we need to finish the mission we came here on." Wolf raised her chin in a quick motion that the rest of the quad had come to understand that she wanted them to move out.

Lee led the way further into town, warily eyeing the creaking wooden boards that bridged the frequent gaps in the concrete, with his two fellow Rangers trailing behind him.

"Wow. They have a windmill!" Evie noted with excitement at the quick turning blades at the far end of the town where the skyroad ended at a jagged edge. "Do they use it for power?"

"Nah. It's to bring water up from the river. Somehow, they got a pipe in place that leads from the river to a filter station beneath the skyroad. It cleans the water enough... I guess." Lee explained with a shrug as he led them to the last house before the clear path to the windmill.

It was a one-story shack that was a single room; as every house but the mayor's was. He had only been inside one time, when the Wests had invited him to share dinner since he had provided several dead molerats for a party the town had been throwing for a particularly large scavenging job they had collectively pulled off upriver. He gestured for Evie and Rachel to post besides the door before he gave three hard raps to it. After several seconds of waiting with no reaction, Lee tried the knob. The door slid open with a squeak of creaky hinges and the smell hit him instantly.

His .44 was in his hands in a flash and he aggressively passed the threshold; quick sweeps to the left and right revealed that there were no threats inside. A sigh escaped his lips as he holstered his magnum and his quadmates joined him.

Evelyn removed the toothpick from her mouth and made a retching sound as she whirled to go back outside. Lee knelt down next to the two slowly rotting bodies as Rachel studied something on the wall.

"Money!" Lee called with a slight turn of his head.

"Y-yeah?" Evie's voice only sounded slightly shaken up.

"Go get Song and King. Maybe she can figure out what happened."

Lee already had a pretty good idea but a second opinion never hurt. He vaguely recognized the bodies of the elder Wests as both had a peculiar sunken, shriveled look to their bodies. Both of their throats had been torn out, as well as a pair of distinct puncture wounds in the wrists. He didn't think that was what had killed them though. Their clothes had been ripped apart from what looked like blows from a kitchen knife or maybe a meat cleaver. The man had a huge gash in his skull and a heavy metal frying pan was sitting in a dried pool of blood a couple feet away. Lucy's mother was lying on the single bed in the room and it was obvious that someone had laid her there.

"Jesus. I figured the Wests had taken off with the rest of them." King sighed mournfully and removed his hat in respect. "May the Lord take you and you find everlasting peace in His light. Amen."

Wolf knelt down next to the father and pulled on a pair of pre-War latex gloves.

"Moon, go relieve Money at the barricades. Lee, you and Money go door-to-door and make sure everyone left is alive. Meet me back here when you're done."

"We're on it." Lee told his quadleader and followed Rachel back outside.

* * *

"Report." Wolf ordered as the quad reassembled outside the West residence.

"There are only three people left besides King." Lee told her. "Karen Schenzy and the Ewers."

_I'm sure Evie will tell her that Ken Ewers is a condescending prick and his wife is batshit crazy; not to mention how Karen practically threw herself at me as soon as she realized it was me. Ha! Doubt Evie'll tell her how they glared at each other like a couple of dogs after a scrap of meat._

"Three people left out of over a dozen?" Wolf shook her head. "Well, I can say that someone tried to cover up what happened to the Wests. It looks like they were stabbed and beaten to death. I think the father got the blade away but then was beaten with the pan. I don't know the time of death but it was probably when the screaming animals provided a distraction for it. The question is: who did it and why would they try to cover it up?"

"The Family." Rachel finally spoke but it was in that same monotone. "I saw a mark on the wall. It probably belonged to them."

Lee scratched the underside of his jaw. "So, someone killed the parents, kidnapped the kid, and The Family tried to cover it up? It doesn't make a lot of sense."

"Unless the kid killed the parents." Evie shrugged at the looks she received. "It's all assumptions at this point. But if the kid had a connection with The Family that the rest of the town didn't know about, they could have snuck up here after he did it and—" Evie paused to swallow thickly. "-try to cover the murders up and take him away."

"Shit. It does make fucked up sense." Lee admitted but it was hard for him, losing his family the way he had, to rationalize anyone killing their parents. "So what do we do? Go back to Megaton and tell Lucy what happened?"

Wolf shook her head, "The Family is obviously dangerous; especially if they made it through that minefield without King blowing them to Hell. We need to track them, find their base, and then come up with some kind of plan to deal with them. We'll take King's job on a provisional basis and hole up in that abandoned house by the brahmin pen. Money, Walker, go scout it out and start prepping it for a short-term stay. Moon, you're with me. We're going to have a talk with residents of good Arefu. Move like you got a purpose, people."

* * *

Lee watched from his concealed position, upwind of the bottom of the ramp, as someone from The Family finally appeared in the middle of the night. The moon was fat in the night sky and cast enough light that Lee almost felt like it was predawn. This strange Family man seemed to float over the ground, as though he could see as though it were daylight, and possessed a calm, gentle voice. King was having none of it though and hurled insult after insult at the gang member.

"Why don't you just see reason? Let us feed from you and you will be left in peace. To rebuild as you see fit."

Lee saw that the man was several inches taller than he was and probably heavier. He was dressed in sleeveless merc leathers without a jacket but he didn't seem to feel the chill of the nighttime Waste. There was never even a hint that the man would actually take up the Chinese assault rifle slung across his back.

"See reason? You're the reason there are hardly any people left in this town! So, all you freaks can go _fuck_ yourselves."

The man sighed again and shook his head. "I know your people must be hungry. Maybe a few more days will help you not be so stupid."

With that said, the man turned and began making his way around the brahmin pen and north towards the river. Lee slid from his concealment with practiced ease and stalked the man through the blue light of the moon. The Ranger's heart hammered in his chest as he hunted the man through the darkness. He was on constant alert for an attack from any number of the nighttime predators of the Waste. Some of them didn't make a single sound when they moved in for the kill. Halfway to the river, the wind shifted and Lee hunkered down behind a rock in the hopes that it would help. There was no way to know if this Family man had that good of a sense of smell but Lee did and there was no reason to assume other people didn't.

"Fucking slaver!" A voice snarled from above him.

_Fuck!_

Lee twisted out of the way of a wickedly quick stab with a combat knife that would have gotten him right in the neck. He grabbed the vulnerable arm with both hands and wrenched it forward. His foe flew off the rock and hit the ground with a noisy clatter but was on his feet in a split-second to find himself face-to-muzzle with Lee's .44. To Lee's surprise, the man grinned to display inhumanly white teeth.

"You and I both know you ain't gonna fire that. Not this late." The man backed away and flipped his combat knife. "You're gonna have to work to capture me, fucker."

Lee sighed and holstered his sidearm. "I'm not a slaver, pendejo. I've been hired to stop your Family from strongarmin' Arefu." Lee drew his own combat knife and settled into a knife-fighting stance; body angled to prevent less of a target, empty hand slightly extended with the knife-hand slightly back. "One question before we do this: What did you do to Ian West?"

There was a moment of hesitation before nervous laughter bubbled from the man's mouth. "We ate him."

Lee had to give it to the bastard; he was fast. Lee was just as fast and, more importantly, far more experienced in knife-fights. His opponent came at him with a wild swing at his midsection that probably would have just bounced off his combat armor. Instead, Lee stepped back just enough to backhand the swinging arm at the elbow to send the Family fighter into a spin. When his back was to Lee, the Ranger stepped in and a lightning quick stab to the kidney should have been the end. Most men Lee had ever stabbed that way lost consciousness within seconds and death followed not long after if left alone. When his enemy casually reached one arm back with inhuman nimbleness and tossed Lee nearly a dozen feet away as though he didn't weight over 140 pounds, it was the Ranger's first clue that this Family was most certainly not your average gang of raiders.

Once he was finished rolling, Lee sprang to his feet only to see the man he had fatally stabbed remove the knife with a sharp cry of pain before throwing the weapon to the side. He fixed strangely shining eyes on Lee and growled like a wounded animal.

_Well, it's like Wolf always says: people are just animals that like to put on airs._

If Lee thought the bastard had been fast before, that was nothing compared to the next charge. He had to have closed the sixteen or so feet in less than a second. Lee's reflexes, always razor-sharp, were hair-trigger thanks to the massive amount of adrenaline pumping through his body. He stepped into the charge and then fell back with two boots into the crazy bastard's sternum. It was a move that Rachel had taught him and it worked exceedingly well as the man flipped forward to land awkwardly on his shoulder. That had to have hurt. Lee's body was still slightly stiff from his exertions days ago, but the man popped back up to his feet as though he could do this all night.

Unfortunately for them both, the decision was taken out of their hands as a large shadow barreled into the man.

_Fuck!_

Lee turned, drew his .44 and fired from the hip as a second shadow enveloped the moonlight.


	24. XXIV

The thunderous report of his .44 shattered the chilly, Wasteland night. Lee managed to fire four times while backpedaling away from the massive shadow hurling itself at him. Then he was airborne as the thing hit rammed right into him. Pain, sharp and urgent, flared in his chest as he hit the ground and tumbled. Now the beast let loose a familiar roar that was answered from the direction The Family man had vanished. Flashes of light accompanied the frenetic, sharp sound of an assault rifle firing on full automatic.

_Guess he's still alive_. Lee guessed with a cough as he scrambled to one knee. _Bears. I fucking hate yao guai._

Lee had at least hurt the creature because it had hesitated in finishing him as it howled its pain and fury but that had only lasted a second. It was charging at him again as though he hadn't shot it multiple times with a weapon that could outright kill a man with one round. Lee took a breath, tried to distance himself from the situation, and fired his last two rounds directly into where he thought its head was. Then he found himself buried beneath hundreds of pounds of animal fury. A heavy paw on his chest pinned him to the earth as the yao guai's maw opened wide to dart in to crush his head like a piece of fruit-nut. Instinct had Lee's head twitching to the side at the last possible second so that the monstrous animal's jaws latched onto his shoulderplate instead of his cranium. The combat knife, never having left his hand, was jammed between the shoulder and neck. Instead of withdrawing it to stab again, Lee sawed the blade as hard and as fast as he could. With a eardrum-shattering roar, the yao gaui slapped Lee away. The blade came with him and so did a tremendous gush of viscous blood that did a fairly decent job of coating Lee before he was clear.

The Ranger must have hit his head on a rock during his latest tumble, because his next sight was of The Family soldier impossibly standing on the shoulders of the yao guai while it weakly struggled to get to its feet. Muzzle flash from the long burst the man put into its head at point-blank range let Lee catch a glimpse of the ghastly damage his recent foe had endured. He couldn't be sure but it looked like a positively huge flap of his scalp was dangling down the left side of his blood-covered face.

_Gotta take stock._ Lee's thoughts, usually so clear and crisp, had a familiar fuzzy quality to them. _I whacked my fucking head pretty good._

It was no surprise to him that he had retained the proverbial deathgrip on his sidearm and knife. The only problems were that his gunhand was numb and blood was leaking with alarming speed from his right shoulder. His left arm seemed fine until he tried to move to roll himself over with his supposedly "good" arm. Fiery pain shot up his entire left side and ribcage at the motion. He flopped onto his back with a ragged groan and took a few moments to regain his composure.

_I haven't been this hurt in a long time._ His thoughts were coming a little faster now but still thick._ It would figure it would happen doing something I'm smart enough to know isn't smart._

Lee's head rose at the sickening sound of meat being chewed from bone echoed noisily in the quiet. The corpse of the yao guai was jerking as though something were feeding from it already. Then the clicking sounds that only a pack of scouter ants made reached him and an extra dose of adrenaline had him trying once again to stand up. He made it to his butt this time and quickly injected a quick-use stimpak into the specially-modified joint in the shoulder ribbing that would let the needle in easy. It felt like liquid fire in his veins but feeling was returning to his gunhand as he fumbled with a speedloader. Unfortunately, his hands were so slippery from both his and the bear's blood, that he dropped the damn thing onto the shadowy ground.

Lee didn't spare the energy to swear as he reached for another speedloader but his eyes were drawn to the armored silhouettes of several giant ants as they skittered into view only a couple dozen feet away. There was enough light, combined with Lee's hunting experience, for the Ranger to know that he was royally fucked. Even if he did get the speedloader in, he might get one ant before the others were tearing into him.

_Then it'll be down to the knife._ A grim little smile graced Lee's lips as he concentrated on reloading as fast as his trembling hands could manage. _Well, at least Rachel will have Wolf to herself now._

The familiar rattle of Rachel's assault rifle caused Lee to instantly slump with relief as the ants recoiled at the unexpected assault. Several orange-red flares were thrown onto the battlefield and the high-pitched whistle of Evie's railway signaled the end of the ant threat.

_Everything in five miles is gonna be up our asses now._

Lee managed to raise his hand in greeting before limply falling backwards into blissful unconsciousness.

* * *

There was the sensation of rocking and a gray-black blur above him.

"Is he going to die?" Evie's voice cried out through what sounded like a throat closed by tears. "He's going to die, isn't he?"

"Not if I can help it, Evie. Now, move faster!" Wolf barked. "Rach, how's it looking?"

"Clear."

Blinking his eyes seemed to take a long time and, when he finally got them open again, he was looking up at a blurry, smoke-stained ceiling.

"Jesus! Look at how much blood is on him! Both of them!" Evie's voice was shrill with panic.

"Calm down, Money! If you don't, I'll kick your ass out of here." Strong hands started tugging at his armor. "Help me get this armor off. Rachel, put that guy over there, we'll get to him later if he lives. Fill those pans up with water."

Lee wanted to reassure them that he would be fine. He had been close to death before and this did not feel as though it would be the end. All that came out was a low, pained groan.

"He's awake! Give him some med-X! We're hurting him."

"Can't do that until we see the damage. Settle down, Money."

Lee focused his will on one act before the approaching unconsciousness he felt grabbed him.

"Look!" Wolf exclaimed.

Lee smiled as Evie laughed at the thumbs up he had managed with his left hand before he passed out once again.

* * *

Lee regained consciousness with a start, as was his habit, and sat up on the small cot he had been placed on.

"Fuck!" He yelped at the pain the motion caused in his chest.

The injured Ranger looked down to see the pinkish bandages that were wrapped around his entire torso and right shoulder. His face had a familiar itch to it and he reached up to gently touch a rough row of scabs that was most likely from the yao guai using him for a playtoy. His hands, aside from the usual scrapes, were thankfully uninjured. For a guy that was ambushed by a pair of yao guai, Lee didn't think he had gotten off too bad. Someone thrashing to his immediate left had him turning his head in that direction.

_Yeah, I could look like that fucker._

The Family soldier was naked from the waist up, like Lee, but nearly his entire torso was covered in bandages. Lee had no idea where Wolf had even scrounged up that many to fit the poor bastard. Spots of blood dotted the gray-white wrappings on his abdomen and arms, but his head was probably the worst. A huge blotch of dried blood on the right side of his skull stained the bandages that were wrapped around his face. A long line of color also decorated the right side of his jaw.

"Lee!" Evie's voice tore Lee's attention from the gravely injured man and he smiled as she bounced into the room. "You're awake!"

"Yeah, but not so loud, bonita. My head feels like it might split open." Lee grinned at her and was relieved when she giggled. Then she got that look in her eye and Lee knew she was going to say something naughty.

Evie looked back the way she had come, as though the building wasn't pretty much one big room, and leaned over to whisper in his ear, "Why is it that, soon as you got up, I got really horny?"

Lee laughed and gingerly placed a hand on the back of her neck. He knew she liked that. "When are you not? Probably just came back when you knew I hadn't bought the farm."

Warm, brown eyes lit up as she grinned widely at him but dampened somewhat when the door creaked open. She backed away with a pout and called to the others. "Lee's awake."

Wolf quickly placed down her bundle of what looked to be damp bandages and sat her medkit on the edge of Lee's cot. A quick check of his pupil response with a pen-light and the "follow my finger" routine, which Lee had never really understood the need for, and Wolf nodded.

"I don't think anything was scrambled but that lump scared me some." Lee frowned at the words and reached back to touch his head. "Don't mess with it. I slathered it with the all-purpose gel so I didn't cover it. It's looking pretty good though."

Rachel came over to stand beside Evie and gave him a quick nod which he returned.

"Wolf, I'm going to hang those bandages outside to dry."

"Okay. Just keep an eye out. The sun's starting to go down. I think we'll have a visit tonight." Rachel nodded and took the basket outside. "You gave us a bit of a scare, Lee." Now that Rachel was gone, Wolf was giving him the same kind of eye Evie had.

_What is it with almost dying making women hornier than Hell?_

"Sorry. Next time, I'll let you know when I'm gonna get my ass kicked." Lee would have snorted but he wasn't the type to cause himself undue pain.

"How did those yao guai sneak up on you?" Evie asked in a voice tinged with anger.

_And now she's mad at me?_ Lee thought in bewilderment.

"Me and that pendejo," Lee pointed at the man, who he noticed was tied to the bed with thick leather straps,"-were fighting. Boss, he ain't normal."

Wolf barked laughter and shook her head. "No shit, Lee. You were passed out but we found that crazy bastard tearing into one of the yao guai. Right into one of the big arteries in the neck. He was covered in so much blood that Rachel could barely lift him up after we managed to subdue him. Which, by the way, took three hits from Evie's stun-wand." Wolf sighed and walked to the side of the unconscious man's cot. "He was mauled worse than just about anyone I ever saw that didn't die. By the time we got him back, half his wounds had stopped bleeding. Once we got you taken care of, the only one that hadn't stopped was because the top of his scalp had been peeled off. I stapled it back into place and it looked several days old a couple hours later."

"Why are the bandages so bloody then?"

"That's the weird thing." Evie's voice had dropped to a whisper. "We tried to take him up to the top around noon and, soon as the sunlight touched him, he started convulsing and bleeding from the worst wounds. He calmed down once we got him inside but I've never heard of anyone _that_ allergic to the sun."

"We have to watch him close. He was fast. Almost as fast as me and really strong. Stronger than Rachel. Threw me over his shoulder with one arm."

Wolf and Evie both looked at him in alarm before they went to check on his straps again.

"I saw a length of chain around back. I'll go get it and see what I can rig up." Evie said and left in a hurry.

"Is it just me or is she getting more level-headed every day?" Wolf asked with a smile.

Lee shrugged. "The Wastes have a way of doing that... if you live long enough. Where are my weapons?"

"Oh, no." Wolf place a hand on his uninjured shoulder and exerted firm pressure. "You're going to sit your ass down and rest. I'll let you have your sidearm but that's _it_. And you're not going to move unless I give you the go-ahead."

"Boss, we're gonna need everyone if the rest of this guy's gang are anything like him."

Wolf bit her lip and sighed. "Maybe. We're gonna make our stand here. We'll set up a killzone for those bastards right outside. If they have a tracker worth a shit, it won't be hard following the trail we left. Only thing that kept the scavengers away was the fire Rachel let burn all night. Damn good waste of wood."

"Okay. What do you need me to do?"

"Rest." Wolf chuckled at Lee's disgruntled frown. "You'll need it. Another stimpak and your shoulder should be okay enough to fire your rifle without breaking open the wounds. You won't be left out."

Several things happened at that exact moment: Wolf leaned forward as though she was a second away from giving Lee a reassuring kiss on the forehead; the door opened to admit Rachel and Evie; the Family's soldier woke with a hoarse, inhuman scream. His eyes were extremely bloodshot and the pupils were far too large but they seemed to focus on everyone in the room even as the man screamed with enough force to jerk the entire cot. Soon, the cot began to move because he was tugging at his bindings. The thick leather creaked eerily as it stretched.

Before Wolf could bark an order, Rachel was on the man's left side with her double-barrel pressed against his temple.

"I wouldn't."

That stilled the man's struggles and Evie raced forward with a long length of serviceable chain. Quickly, the diminutive Ranger had the man's body tightly bound to the bed. The only portion of him that was free to move was his head.

"They'll come for me! They will! You'll all die! You'll _all_ die!" The man's words spiraled into incoherent screaming as spit flew from his mouth.

"Money, zap him." Wolf ordered without a hint of mercy.

Money drew her stun-wand from her tool-belt and touched it to the man's thigh. Light sparked from the chains and Lee swore the cot rose a foot into the air before slamming back down. That seemed to calm him down though.

Wolf produced Lee's Telly and placed it into his hand before stepping over to the man's bedside. His breathing was ragged but it seemed more from panic than anything else.

"Can you hear me?" Wolf asked calmly as she peeled back his eyelids. The man nodded and seemed to lose all his crazed bluster at once. "We're not slavers, first. We're Reilly's Rangers. A merc outfit out of D.C."

Now his eyes widened. "I've-" He paused to cough. "Can I get some water?"

Evie looked at Wolf with a familiar expression, Wolf nodded, and Evie quickly went to pour a glass of water. When she returned, she held his head up and carefully tilted the glass so he could drink.

_She'll always be such a softie_, Lee thought fondly.

"Thanks." The man said with a small smile for the Ranger. "I've heard about you guys. You're supposed to be good guys. Why'd you attack me?"

"Bullshit!" Lee spat. "You tried to kill me first!"

The man actually looked embarrassed. "I thought you were a slaver. They're the only ones crazy enough to run around at night out here."

Wolf's voice was emotionless as she responded with, "You were out there."

Now the Family soldier was definitely embarrassed and chuckled quietly. "Yeah, I guess I was."

"What's your name?"

"Alan."

"Well, Alan, I think we need to have a talk."

* * *

Lee was not a fan of this plan and that was an understatement. He wasn't the quadleader though and had only shared his disapproval before Wolf went ahead with it anyway. That left him and Evie posted on either side of the door with a clear view of the front of the house from the boarded windows. Rachel was sitting on the stairs next to Alan, who was now only wrapped in chain from the waist up, with her sidearm's muzzle firmly against his upper back. Wolf, insane woman that she was, had her feet up on a small table as she leaned back in her chair beside the doorframe with her combat helmet tilted over her eyes.

_Like she doesn't have a fucking care in the world._

The sun had gone down a few hours ago and full dark was now upon them. A small fire burned a few yards in front of Wolf and that threw a lot of weird shadows. Lee still swore and cursed his inattention as a trio of shapes seemed to just fade into the light from out of nowhere. He slowly worked the bolt on his rifle and settled into firing position. He settled the crosshairs right in the center of the middle one's forehead. That was usually where the leader stood.

No one said a word as the figures stopped just on the other side of the fire.

"Awful late for a stroll, isn't it?" Wolf asked without looking up.

"I prefer the night air. It's... refreshing." The middle one spoke first in a smooth, soothing voice that caused an instinctive growl to form in Lee's chest. He stamped the desire down at the first twinge of pain. "May I have the pleasure of your name?"

Lee took the time that pleasantries were exchanged to take stock of who they were up against. The leader, Vance, was about Rachel's height but seemed far too skinny in the long leather coat he wore. His hair was pulled back and the effect only seemed to make his eyes stand out that much more as they reflected the orange glow of the fire. He had some kind of long blade in a sheath across his back and, from the way he was standing, a handgun in a right shoulder holster. Something about him just raised the hairs on the back of Lee's neck.

_He's the most dangerous one here_.

But the other two, despite their appearances, had the same effect on him. It was nowhere near as powerful as the aura emanating from the leader but it was there. Vance had introduced the woman as Brianna and she was staring directly at Lee's window as though she could see through the boards. Her fiery red hair was matched by her ruby lips and she leaned forward just a bit in Lee's direction to reveal that the top of her merc leathers were unzipped to reveal a fair amount of pale bosom. Despite himself, when she licked those lips, Lee felt a stirring below the belt.

_Focus, estupido. _

The final figure was a man about Lee's height who seemed to blur around the edges. It was like Lee's eyes just wanted to slide away from him and it took an obscene amount of concentration to stare directly at him. It might have been the firelight but even his features seemed to just bleed into blandness.

_Definitely dangerous. Didn't even notice their weapons._

Lee looked again and used the deadly focus that had carried him through innumerable life-or-death situations. Brianna was carrying a well-maintained SMG in an underarm sling and a .32 on her hip. The man, Justin, had a full-barrel pump-action shotgun and an SMG in a thigh holster. Both seemed poised to hose down the entire house at a moment's notice. They were quivering with anxiety and knowing that did not put Lee at ease.

"I know you have taken one of mine into your home. I also know that he is still alive." Vance was saying as Lee began to follow the conversation again. "What I don't know is why you Rangers have taken it upon yourselves to accost a member of my Family."

"It seems to me that you and your Family have a lot to answer for, Vance." Wolf said in a soft, slow drawl as she began ticking points off on her finger. "Two bodies that were torn to shreds with what I've been told is your symbol on the wall pf their home. You've driven off most of the village. You've killed all the brahmin. Ian West is missing."

At each point, Vance winced slightly but maintained his composure. "We are making restitution for the bodies and the brahmin. If that stubborn mayor had only agreed to our demands in the first place, this situation would not have come to pass. We only wish to live our lives in peace."

"At the expense of eating people?" Wolf asked and that caused a strange tension in Vance's shoulders.

"We do not feed on human flesh!" Vance snapped and Lee thought, for just a second, that the man's incisors were abnormally long. "That is unclean. Unworthy of us. We only seek to drink a small amount of blood per night. No more."

"Oh? And what happened to the Wests?"

Vance sighed and rubbed his forehead. "That was an accident and so was the brahmin. The individuals responsible have been punished. You have my word."

"Your word doesn't really mean a whole lot to me."

Justin growled loudly enough to be heard over the crackle of the fire and made as if to take a step forward.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Wolf said and help up the trigger-switch to a half dozen timed mines they had borrowed from King. "Unless you want an express ticket to Hell."

"Easy, Justin. She has a point. They don't know us." Wolf started at that and Vance nodded. "You have three others in that house. One is freshly injured, another is still recovering, and the third smells... sweet. This I know, Wolf."

"Then you should also know that we've got a gun to your boy's back and, if anything goes wrong, he's dead."

Vance smiled slightly. "I had assumed the stories that Three Dog has been spreading about you Rangers were exaggerations but I appear to have been mistaken." Vance grabbed a stray chair and slowly walked around the fire until he could place the chair a few feet away from Wolf's. He sat with a weary sigh. "So, Ranger Wolf of Echo Quad, how can we come to a mutually beneficial arrangement?"


	25. XXV

To say that Evan King was not happy with the offer that Vance had laid at the table was an understatement.

"Fuck him and fuck you if you think I'll let those bunch of freaks feed off of this town." The older man rubbed a hand along his bald, nut brown head in consternation. "Why the Hell didn't you blow all their brains out when you had them in your sights?"

Lee winced internally, as he had been wondering the same thing since Vance and his guards had left the area a few hours before sunrise. The quad had been up for nearly a whole day, with Lee being the sole exception, and he could tell that the women were feeling it. King had come down to get a detailed report on the situation at dawn and Wolf was being uncharacteristically short with him.

"Because, King, you actually have no idea how fast or tough these bastards are!" Wolf growled through gritted teeth. "That one-," she angrily gestured at the shapeless lump that Alan had curled into when the sun had risen. "-nearly killed my scout last night and Lee is one of the best I've ever _heard_ of at what he does. A yao guai nearly tore him to shreds last night and I get the feeling that, by tonight, he could probably _run_ back to their fucking hideout."

"All the more reason to kill him and then kill them when they come back." King nodded his head eagerly at his own wisdom.

"When you have no idea how many of them there are or if they're _all_ like Alan?" Wolf shook her head in disbelief. "If you do that, kiss your ass goodbye."

"I thought you guys were supposed to be the new badasses in tha Wastes!" King furiously jabbed his finger into Wolf's breastplate. "Now you're begging off like a bunch of fucking pussies."

"It doesn't mean we're stupid. My team is running at yellow." At the mayor's look, Wolf added, "It means that we're at less than seventy-five percent optimal combat status. I would have to go back, call for help, wait for help, and then come back here to end the family. Say it takes us a week to get back, minimum. You think you could last that long?" King started to speak but then muttered something and looked away. "I'll answer for you. No, you can't. In fact, you're lucky we even got here when we did."

"Well, goddamnit, what do you think I should do then?" Now the old man just sounded defeated and Lee's heart went out to him.

Wolf's obviously did too as she gently led him to a chair and sat him down. "I know it's hard to realize you can't win the way you want but you can survive. That's what we do out here. There's never any real victory, defeat, winning, or losing. There's only survival, for as long as you can, to make sure your blood endures. You should feel no shame in this if it's in the name of survival."

Lee lay back on his cot to look at the ceiling when King's shoulders began to shake slightly.

"I got all these folks looking to me to take care of 'em. I been doin' it for so long and now I've failed. I killed Arefu because I'm stupid and stubborn and full of pride." King's voice was a curious mix of tears, shame, and anger. "We get shit on almost as much as Big Town and there's just a bunch of dumbass kids there. I took over from the old mayor almost thirteen years ago and it's all just gone down the fucking drain. Should have just hung myself like that bitch told me to."

Lee turned his head just as Wolf looked at him with a question in her eyes and he mouthed 'Karen' as an answer.

"Well, Karen doesn't know what it's like out in the wide world, does she? I bet she's lived in that damn house her whole life and its been in her family for years." She continued as King nodded. "I lived in a village until just a few years ago and I know what it's like. You think all the outsiders and wanderers with their wild stories are just trying to impress the locals. You think the elders that went away as mercs and came back just like to make it seem more dangerous. You don't believe it because it just seems crazy that the world is, well, _crazy_." King's sniffling had stopped and he was sitting up a little straighter. "But now I _am_ one of those mercs and I know it's all true. All the badness, all the pain. And I know that it's people like us, you and me, that lets people like Karen fucking Schenzy live in their perfect, little bubbles. And sometimes that means having to make deals with the Devil."

King took a deep, bracing breath and then nodded firmly. "Yeah... yeah, you're right. Guess livin' easy all these years made me forget that. Thanks, you young bitch. Shit, if I was ten years younger, I'd charm the armor right off ya."

Wolf laughed in genuine amusement and ran a hand along King's spotted head. "I just bet you would, King."

* * *

Rachel knocked on the door for the third time, slightly more forcefully than she had the second time, and watched as the entire thing shook in its frame. The thin, metal walls of the place shuddered in unison with her fist hitting the door. Wolf had sent Evie and her to check the people left in Arefu. Evie had made a face when they had flipped a cap for the choice about who got to visit who and she had gotten the Ewers. Apparently, the husband was an overbearing, paranoid asshole and the wife was out of her mind. Rachel had yet to meet either of them so it was all new to her.

_I know that bitch is in there._

"Karen, I'm with the Rangers. I just want to check on you. Open up, please."

_There we go. That definitely sounded cool and professional. Be still, inside and out, and nothing can hurt you._

"Go away. I'm alive." The voice sounded annoyed in a snooty fashion that put Rachel on edge immediately.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I have to actually get a look at you."

"Well, how about this; _Fuck_. _Off._"

Rachel hit the door harder than ever and metal screeched alarmingly as the entire building seemed to flex with the blow.

"You felt that? If you don't let me in, Karen, I'm going to smash through this door."

Finally, the door cracked open a bit and Rachel slapped it with her palm and pushed it wide open. Karen Schenzy stumbled backwards and nearly knocked over a table next to her bed. Rachel stepped into home and gave it a thorough visual examination. She ignored the scowl of angry disapproval that Karen was gifting her with.

"Do you have a problem?" Rachel asked as she closed the door behind her and walked to the table the woman was sitting at.

"You know that he's just going to get all of you pregnant and then leave whenever he feels like it." The pain, hurt, and hatred in her voice resulted in her words coming out guttural and emotional. "That's what wanderers like him do."

To Rcahel's disgust, she found herself defending her quadmate. "Lee isn't like that. He'd never abandon a duty and that's what he thinks having kids means. That you have a duty to protect them."

"Have you and he-?"

Rachel swallowed hard and hated the perceptible reaction the thought caused in the pit of her stomach. "No."

"Good. I know that short whore already has-"

Karen's words came to a sudden, throat-constricting halt when Rachel wrapped her left hand around the woman's slender throat. The Ranger, in her odd state of detachment since the revelation of Lee and Wolf, was less and less concerned with keeping up appearances of normalcy. So, with barely a grunt of effort, Rachel stood the woman up by her throat until just the tips of her shoes were keeping her in contact with the floor. In order to etch the memory into Karen's mind, Rachel held her at arm's length and fixed her with a dispassionate stare.

"I'll put up with your jealously. And your bitchiness. But you don't ever call Money or Wolf a whore. Ever. Or you won't have to worry about The Family ripping your fucking throat out. Comprende?"

Karen nodded as much as the grip on her throat allowed and then collapsed into a shuddering heap when Rachel released her. As Rachel opened the door, she managed to pause her hacking coughs to actually speak.

"You're just like them!"

Rachel glanced back at her out of the corner of her eye, saw Karen's face turn to one of stark terror, and she closed the door behind her.

* * *

"Next time," Evie was complaining loudly as she and Rachel entered their temporary base, "you can take the Ewers. That pig actually tried to come on to me while his wife made me this 'pie'." The petite Ranger held up a dented metal plate with a hunk of dirt on top. "Poor woman."

Lee couldn't help but admire the confident way the diminutive Ranger entered the room. She was far more comfortable in her armor and being festooned with all manner of weapons. He could tell just from the way she moved. If anything, that confidence propelled her attractiveness from cute to smoldering. She smiled as she noticed him watching her from his post beside the door.

"How did the old man take it?" Evie asked as she came to a stop next to him.

"Not good but Wolf talked him into it. He's going to be down here with Wolf when they bring the kid to tell his story tonight. Wolf's already asleep upstairs. She wants me to keep first watch. Rachel, you'll have the second. By then, it'll be time for the meet."

"You'll be okay taking the watch by yourself?" Evie was reasonably skeptical.

"I'm not stupid, bonita. After that pendejo kicked my ass, I'll wake you guys the first sign of trouble."

"Okay, you'd better." Evie looked down at him with those big, brown eyes for a long time before quickly bending down to give him a kiss on the cheek. Without another word, the young woman scampered up the stairs like a girl with a crush.

Rachel simply nodded to him on her way past and he returned the gesture.

_Well, that's better than her flipping me off._

* * *

"Here they come." Rachel informed them as soon as she stepped through the threshold.

Echo Quad, plus Evan King, had been waiting for the last two hours for The Family to show up. Rachel had been keeping a lookout at the top of the broken skyroad for them and it looked like Vance had been true to his word.

"How many?" Wolf asked, her voice was far more firm and confident than Lee thought his would have been in a similar situation.

"Four."

Wolf nodded and began giving orders. "Moon, Money, I want you up top. Keep an eye out for ambushers. You know what to do if you see any. King, you're with me. Keep your hands where they can see them. Let me do the talking. Be cool and just give yes or no answers. Lee, you got him."

Lee, from his position behind a chained Alan, cocked the hammer of his Telly. It would only take the lightest of squeezes to send a .44 slug right through his heart.

"Yeah, boss."

"Get to it." Wolf held the door open for them as the entire group exited. It would have probably made for a comical sight, as Alan had to hop due to his shackled legs, but no one was amused in the slightest.

Moon and Money ascended the skyroad to take their positions; King and Wolf flanked Alan as they waited. Soon, the crunch of gravel signaled the arrival of Vance and his Family. He had brought Brianna and Justin with him but this time he had a vaguely familiar man next to him. This one had the physical look of a starved, wild animal but his demeanor was of a man torn apart by guilt and shame. Vance and company stopped on the opposite side of the small fire just as they had the previous night.

"I am glad to see that you are a woman of your word, Ranger Wolf." Vance said in that too-smooth voice of his.

"I'm glad to see that so are you."

"Alan?" Vance turned to his captured adopted son. "Have they treated you well?"

"Besides the chains, father?" Alan shrugged. "Well enough besides putting me in the sun."

A shocked hiss from Brianna had Vance raising his hand to stop her advance. "I'm sure they didn't know, Bree."

Wolf barked laughter. "Yes, Brianna, we knew that Alan would boil like a mirelurk in hot water if exposed to the sun for half a minute." Wolf shook her head in the slow way that spoke of bemusement. "I've heard of mutants that could tolerate a lot of sun but never one that could stand so_ little_."

"But that's not why we're here, is it?" Vance asked, though the tiny smile on his face spoke volumes about the amusement he felt at the situation. "Go ahead, Ian." Vance directed the young man to his right gently.

The wind shifted then and Lee caught the stink of dried blood mixed with that of a long unwashed body. He knew it was from the West kid immediately and had a suspicion that their theory was right on the money. King gasped as the pale, drawn face of Ian West stepped more fully into the firelight. His face was a mask of long-dried blood and his eyes had heavy, dark circles beneath them. The threadbare clothes he wore looked as though they had been thrown on without regard for fit and he wasn't wearing shoes.

"Ian? Boy, what the fuck have they done to ya?" King's voice wavered with anger and sadness.

"They didn't do anything to me, King." West lowered his head as he was unable to meet the gaze of his elder. "I did it. I did everything." All emotion leaked out of Ian's voice as he began to speak.

Ian spoke of being attacked when he was younger and blacking out; how he had regained consciousness later to find himself covered in the stranger's blood with his sister looking at him in horror. The pair had kept the event a secret for years and his sister had covered for him at every opportunity as she had helped him control his rages. She had even begun sneaking him small amounts of brahmin blood to help him cope as he got older. Then the fights with his parents had begun and Lucy had left to "see the world". She had believed Alan had gained some measure of control over his curse, but she had been wrong. It had only gotten worse when she left and he had started fighting with his parents. When The Family had come, Ian had done his best to hide from them but Vance had known about him almost immediately. Ian almost broke down when he talked about refusing Vance's offer to come to The Family's hideout until he learned to fully control himself. Then the last fight with his family had happened and he had blacked out again. When he came to, his family had been torn to pieces and he could _feel_ the power exploding inside his body. He had known what he had done and tried to end himself by slitting his wrists only to watch in horror as the wounds had closed themselves up as though he had built-in stimpaks in his blood. Vance had appeared later that night to find Ian curled into a ball. They had covered up the scene so it looked like The Family had done it and Ian had been taken to The Family's den.

"I've been learning to control it but it's hard. I don't deserve to live like a person."

Lee's heart went out to the kid for his experience. Hell, it went out to all of The Family if they had been through anything similar.

"Shit, kid." King rubbed his head vigorously before sighing. "You should have told them. Hell, you could have told me. We would have done something. I dunno. Maybe I wouldn't have been so stubborn if I thought these assholes could help you."

"Love you, too, you old fuck." Brianna flipped King off and the older man laughed appreciatively.

"At least somebody around here knows how to talk to a body." He nodded at the woman before he returned his gaze to Vance. "I think we can deal. Let's go inside. I feel weird standing out in the open at night."

Vance smiled, "I'm still not used to it."

* * *

Alan stretched his arms high over his head and Lee winced at the popping sounds coming from the man's joints. His former prisoner chuckled at his expression and then sighed in relief as he turned his head sharply enough to crack his neck.

"Those yao guai really did a number on me. I haven't been that hurt since I Awakened."

Rachel and Evie had rejoined the group when Lee had whistled the all-clear. Rachel was now acting as bodyguard while the negotiations were underway in the main room. Alan, Evie, and Lee had sought the privacy of the kitchen to remove Alan's bindings.

"No hard feelings?" Evie asked as she gathered up the chains.

"Nah. I would have done the same. Hell, I'm glad you guys didn't kill me when you saw me go all bubbly in the sun."

"Well, I don't know about the other guys, but you guys are pretty fascinating to me. I've read about mutants and how evolution might be speeding up thanks to all the radiation left by the War but to actually see it is just... _amazing_."

Alan turned to fix Lee with a bemused expression and Lee laughed. "She's like that. What do you mean 'Awakened'?"

"It's what Vance calls it when one of us... I don't really know how to explain it. It's like... shit, I suck at this." Alan fixed Lee with an intense stare and then grinned. "You know how you're fast, right? You ever think that you're always just a step away from being _faster_. Like you can almost touch it but never quite make it?" Lee nodded, and this had Evie fixing him with a questioning look. "That next step is what Vance calls an Awakening. I always healed fast and never caught any diseases like the other mercs did from townie whores. Uh..." Evie giggled at the nervous look Alan shot at her after his admission but he soldiered on. "We got taken out by some slavers during a bullshit job. I tried to escape and got shot to shit but something happened. I blacked out and the next thing I know, Vance is standing over me, helping me stand up. My clothes were shredded and I was covered in blood but I didn't have a scratch on me. Vance says that the healing is my special gift. We're all stronger and faster than before but each of us has something extra."

"Oh? Like what?" Evie asked eagerly and Alan, to Lee's chagrin, was all too eager to answer the excited Ranger's questions.

"You noticed how it's hard to _notice_ Justin?" The Rangers nodded. "He's actually doing that. Don't ask me how but he once walked right into the middle of Rivet City without anyone even knowing how he got on board. And Vance's wife is even better at it. She's so good that I've seen people that didn't even know she was an inch from their face."

"Wow. I wonder if it's some kind of pheromone? Shit, I bet Nathan would have a field day with you guys."

"Nathan?" Now it was Alan's turn to ask a question and Lee saw no reason to hide the answer.

"One of our co-commanders. He's a scientist. Very smart." Lee answered simply but Evie elbowed him in the ribs.

"No, _I'm_ very smart. Nathan's a fucking _genius_. Seriously, there's not a thing science related he can't wrap his head around. It's kinda scary when you think about what he could do with that if he really put his mind to it." Evie grinned at Alan. "Any other cool abilities?"

"Well, Vance is the fastest thing I've ever seen. He's so fast it seems like he can disappear when he wants to. And he can smell people that are close to Awakening or something. Like I said, I'm no doc, so I don't know how the weird stuff works. Karl, the one that killed the brahmin, well he's the strongest. And when I mean the strongest... well, you saw how strong I am. The others say he once killed a super mutant with his bare hands and I believe it."

"That's soooooo fucking boss, man."

Alan and Evie shared a big grin that caused an unfamiliar burning in Lee's stomach.

_Is this jealousy?_

Before he could interrupt the staredown, Wolf's voice called to them from the other room.

"Are you guys all done in there?"

"Yeah, boss. Coming."

Once they entered the main room, Wolf began speaking.

"We've hammered out the details. Just wanted everyone to be on the same page. King has agreed to sign a contract that states, as long as the citizens of Arefu agree via vote every six months, The Family is allowed to feed from the town. All citizens have the right to refuse, at any time, to be fed upon. In exchange, The Family will provide at least one guardian at all times to protect the town during the night. During times of Raider attacks, The Family will be the first line of defense. At those times, a lottery will be taken to determine who will nourish any and all injured Family members for the duration of the attack or until such a time as a fresh donor will be needed. Ian will return to The Family's base for the time being until he learns to control the Thirst, as Vance calls it. Alan and Justin will have the first rotation should the citizens of Arefu agree by vote to accept the contract."

There were nods of assent all around and King stood up with a weary sigh.

"Is something wrong, friend?" Vance ventured and King shook his head.

"Weird having you call me that." King said and then chuckled. "I'm just not looking forward to trying to convince Karen to vote for it, is all."

"I'll work on her with you, King." Wolf patted the man on the shoulder and the wrinkly smile he sent her had Lee's eyes narrowing.

_Shit, everyone's coming on to my girls. Did I just think of them as _my_ girls? I did!_

As Lee was pondering this new complication, King said his goodnight and left. He thought that The Family would leave but there was some kind of silent communication between the five before Vance dropped a bombshell.

"If I could be so forward, Ranger Wolf, The Family would like to hire Echo quad."


	26. XXVI

Wolf tiredly sank back on the cot that had once held Alan seconds after The Family had departed. "I know I should be happy for all the work and the chance to make money but why the fuck can't we just have a nice, simple job for once?"

Lee settled onto his cot, smiling slightly when Evie sat beside him. Rachel slouched in a chair on the other side of Wolf's cot. He noticed that Rachel still had her assault rifle in her hands. If he was honest with himself, he understood her paranoia after being in the presence of The Family for so long.

"Something tells me that you'd get bored, boss." Lee offered with a grin that was replied to with a slow smirk.

"Yeah, you're probably right."

The Family had offered them a huge sum of caps, over five thousand, to assist them in taking out a group of super mutants that had taken residence in an old trainyard that was almost a direct route to their hideout. When the muties had taken over the trainyard, eliminating a decent-sized community in the process, they had effectively blocked an important trade and access route for The Family. That story had made a lot of sense to Lee when he had realized The Family had to cross the riverbed to get to Arefu.

"Is Lee going to be okay to fight in three days, Wolf?" Evie asked, her brow furrowed slightly in concern.

Lee's back straightened as he turned to grin at the concerned woman. "I'll be fine, bonita. It'll take more than a cute little bear to put me out of action."

Wolf laughed, "Cute? Maybe if you're cross-eyed. Lee's the best judge of if he'll be able to go but he's not going to die if he exerts himself. Three days of rest should help with the fatigue from blood loss."

"So, what's the plan, boss?"

"Rach and me are going back to Big Town. We'll see if any quads are close enough to assist. I doubt it, but we should at least make the attempt. We'll stay the night and head back the next day with news. I want you two to help clean this place up as best you can but— and this goes for both of you —don't push it too hard. I'm going to want both of you rested for the assault." Wolf took a long, hard look at all three of her subordinates before sighing. "Not that you really needed it in the first place, but you also have permission to have sex."

Evie squeaked and darted from Lee's side to grab Wolf in a crushing hug. Wolf let loose a bark of laughter as she instinctively returned the hug.

"What's that for?" Wolf asked when Evie finally released her with a huge grin plastered across the younger woman's face.

"Because I'm happy?" Evie shrugged and Wolf ruffled her hair but the grins remained on both their faces.

The front door slamming closed had their heads swiveling almost in unison. Lee had been so preoccupied with Wolf's announcement and Evie's reaction that he had missed Rachel even standing up to leave. Wolf sighed and began making her way to the door.

"I'll talk to her. Try not to be too loud." With that final, mysterious statement, Wolf followed Rachel out.

"What did she mean?" Lee asked, scratching his head in his confusion.

His jaw dropped open slightly just seconds before Evie, with her top unzipped far enough to partially reveal her nipples, hopped onto the bed. She knelt in front of him, freeing her breasts even more, and grinned seductively. Her hand on his chest applied light pressure to push him back onto the bed. His chest hurt, his shoulder was still throbbing, but those sensations were being muted by the arousal storming its way through his body.

"Wait a minute, Evie!" Lee laughed as she straddled him and slipped her arms out of her fatigue top to fully bare her torso. Her abdomen had become more defined since the last time and he couldn't resist the desire to run his fingertips along the muscles. "I'm still sore and I lost a lot of blood the other day!"

"It feels like you have enough to spare for _this_." Evie emphasized the last word with a quick grind against his crotch. The groan that escaped his lips was the only answer he could come up with. "Don't worry." Evie leaned down to kiss and gently bite his earlobe. "I'll be gentle.

* * *

Wolf caught up with Rachel at one of the abandoned homes closer to the windmill. She had the chain securing the door in both hands. It was an old, rusty thing that probably would have taken one or two hits from a crowbar before giving up and shattering.

"What are you doing, Rach?" Wolf asked calmly as she stopped a few feet behind the now disturbingly stoic Ranger.

"Finding a place to stay." Wolf flinched slightly as Rachel broke the chain with a small grunt of effort. She had suspected Rachel was a mutant but seeing such a visible sign was a bit startling. The taller Ranger turned to Wolf with eyes that were almost hidden in the shadows playing over her face. "Shouldn't you be down there fucking Lee?"

The pain in Rachel's voice as she said that was faint but Wolf picked up on it and it sent a lance of pain through her chest. Hurting Rachel was one of the last things she wanted to do.

"No. I should be up here. Talkin' with you. So talk to me."

Rachel shrugged. "Nothing to say."

"Bullshit." Wolf stepped closer so that she had to look up slightly to stare into her subordinate's eyes. "I'm thinking that maybe _I_ should request you get transferred out."

Rachel's cheek twitched as she stared Wolf down. "Why?"

"Because I don't think you're handling these changes well at all."

"Didn't I save him? And back you against the Family?"

"Yeah, but you're getting more and more distant. You can barely look any of us in the eye for more than a second and, when ya do, you get this _look_. Like we've done you some kind of damage. I just don't want it to get us killed."

"Why are you so gung-ho about him turning us into his fucking harem _now_?" The sudden shift in the questioning and Rachel's attitude nearly threw Wolf for a loop, but frustration carried her forward.

"Because Lee could have died out there and it made me remember something I should never have forgot." There were a few moments of silence where the two women just stared into each other's eyes. "Enjoy life. Enjoy the people around you. Because, especially living the kind of life we lead, it probably won't last long." Wolf put a hand on Rachel's arm and squeezed gently. "You know Lee's not like the men from your Clan. He loves us. You can feel it. I know you can. I'm in love with you but I'm tired of fighting myself because I'm in love with him, too."

There were glistening streaks rolling down Rachel's cheeks but Wolf did not point them out. She knew Rachel well enough to know how she would react to that.

"I'm not enough for you. Not good enough. I get it. Just... can I stay? Please?" Wolf's heart was in her throat at the raw emotion in Rachel's voice.

"Why?" Her own voice was rough as she questioned the teary-eyed Ranger.

"Because... I belong here. With you. I just..." Rachel paused to sniffle. "Right now, I just can't take going to another quad. I just can't. Please."

Wolf grabbed Rachel in a tight hug and pressed her back against the door of the abandoned house. It swung open and they fell inside. Wolf kicked the door closed and sat on the floor as Rachel cried in her lap. She didn't know how long they sat there before she led the taller Ranger to the bed.

Once they were both settled comfortably, Wolf began to sing.

* * *

Lee smiled and stretched back onto the cot with a contented sigh. Being injured but still able to have sex was better than he had thought it would be. Evie had just finished on top of him in a position she called "reverse cowgirl". He had almost been unable to do it after she had told him it was called that. He still had no idea where the names for some of the things they did came from but they felt _wonderful_. Having a beautiful woman fulfilling his sexual desires as often as he wanted was a dream many men probably had but it was not something Lee had ever envisioned for himself.

_No wonder so many men in towns with a lot of women go crazy. It would be easy to get used to this. Then you start getting paranoid about other men wanting to take your women or kill you and take your place. Damn._

Evie settled herself beside him, one leg draped over his right thigh, and giggled quietly for a minute or two. She always did that when she had a particularly powerful orgasm. They had taken the master bedroom for themselves and the room had been a boon to their sex romps. Evie had actually been amazed anew at how often Lee could be roused to action in a day. Apparently, it was unusual for a man to have sex six times in a day for two days straight.

_I didn't hear much complaining about it._ The thought caused a pleased smile to cross his face as he ran a hand along her back.

"We should probably get dressed. Rachel and Wolf should be back soon."

"The sun just came up!" Evie groaned in protest as she tried to bury her head in Lee's chest.

Lee ran a thumb along her braided scalp and chuckled. "That was hours ago, bonita. You fell asleep after the first time we woke up and fucked. Then we did it again when you were half-asleep and started humping me."

"It turns me on when you say 'fuck' when it's about us fucking."

"Why?" Lee was perplexed because he thought he said the word enough in reference to sex.

"Because you don't really say it that much. Hell, you still don't even talk that much period."

Lee barked laughter and grinned at his partner. "I think I talk plenty, bonita."

"No one talks as much as you, Evie." Wolf voice from the doorway had both Rangers bolting upright. "It's okay. Don't get up on my account."

All three shared a laugh despite the fact that two of them were completely naked. Wolf was covered in the dust of the road but looked oddly refreshed as she watched them. She took a seat in a chair beside the door that Lee had repaired and Evie had nearly broken while vigorously riding him the day before. With a sigh, she removed her helmet and patted her braided hair.

"It looks like we won't be getting any reinforcements. Everyone's either out of contact with HQ or on other jobs. It'll just be us and The Family." She waited to see their reaction and gave a tiny smile at the unconcerned nods she received. "How's it been going with convincing the holdouts?"

Lee chuckled and Evie answered, "We finally convinced Karen and Ken. Then Ken told Brailee that The Family were just doctors that needed to take blood with their mouths because it was more sterile than the tools they had. That poor woman actually believed that."

"You have to admit, bonita, that bastard knows how to talk to his wife." Lee chuckled again when Evie slapped him on the chest. "Where's Rach?"

Wolf sighed. "Still mopey. I thought spending a day in Big Town with the kids would cheer her up, and it did. But as soon as we got in sight of this place, she put those shades on and told me she was going to join Evan on his watch."

Now the mood turned serious as Lee asked, "You think she'll stay?"

"For now, yes. I don't know why when she seems so miserable but she'll at least stick around for this mission." Wolf stood and stretched her arms, one still holding her helmet, over her head. "I'm going to go clean up a bit. Get your asses moving and get some work done today. But don't overdo it." The beautiful quad leader stood there for a moment and stared at Lee with piercing amber eyes before winking. "I hope you didn't wear him out too much, Evie. I want my turn tonight."

Evie laughed and slapped Lee on the stomach. "Oh, I think he'll be ready."

"I'm not just a machine to satisfy you two!" Lee huffed and folded his arms beneath his chest.

"Keep telling yourself that, pretty boy!" With another wink, Wolf departed.

"I don't know what the fuck's gotten into her-" Evie turned to Lee with a wolfish grin. "But I _like_ it!"

* * *

Lee stood at the bottom of the skyroad the next morning as the residents of Arefu said their goodbyes. The plan was that they would complete the job for The Family and then make the roundabout trip back down to Megaton. That way they would maximize the caps on this excursion. Of course, the plan hinged on none of them being seriously injured and their store of ammo not being entirely depleted. He watched Wolf shake King's hand and had a flash of her hand working him to stiffness the night before. She had proven to be nearly as ravenous as Evie and managed to climax four times in an hour before succumbing to the vigors of the day. Lee had thought it would be odd to sleep with one woman and then another less than twenty-four hours but, besides lingering guilt over Rachel, it had felt surprisingly natural.

"You be careful out there, Wolf. Just because we don't have to worry about The Family doesn't mean there aren't still a shitload of raider punks out there."

Wolf placed a hand on the older man's shoulder and shook gently. "You just worry about yourself. You should have the first two Family here sometime tonight. Keep a good watch until then, old man."

"Bah! I can still outshoot you, you young bitch!" King spluttered in feigned indignation before smiling, nodding, and then turning to make his way up the ramp.

The others had already said their goodbyes and Echo began their journey to the other side of the river. Of course, this late in the dry season, there wasn't much of a river to be seen. In the rainy season, all three weeks of it, flash flooding was a problem and, for at least a month after, the Potomac and the feeder streams were continuous instead of disappearing and reappearing wherever overpasses had collapsed. Lee had heard a lot of crazy theories about how the river didn't completely dry up all year round but it always seemed useless to him to ponder the why. As long as it didn't, a person should count themselves lucky, was his thought.

Lee followed the directions that Alan had given them to what he called Northwest Seneca. It was an old metro station where, according to Alan, a pair of peculiar ghouls lived. There was a tunnel dug that led to a back entrance into the Meresti station that The Family used as a home. The route was very hilly and frequently dipped into the dry riverbank but it was nothing overly strenuous for professional mercs as fit as the Rangers.

Approximately an hour later saw Echo quad opening the gate to the metro station. The route had been, unsurprisingly, free of raiders and the square relatively free of debris. It spoke of the ghouls and The Families' confidence that they were unconcerned about leaving signs that practically screamed "People here to raid!".

"Ah, you made it!" Alan met them around the turn of the corner with a grin. "A couple of people were starting to think you'd flake out on us!"

"We're Rangers. We never flake." Wolf said, her voice deadly serious at the slight, and only relaxed when Lee coughed.

The scout shared a silent look with the mechanic at their boss's prickliness about the Rangers good name.

"O-kay. I can see that's a sore subject." Alan chuckled in embarrassment and nodded for them to follow him. "Did you guys remember to take the rad-x?" He sighed in relief when they all nodded. "You wouldn't believe how many times we've had traders come this way and they forget. Then blame us when they have to piss out rad-away for a month." With the exception of Rachel, they all shared a slightly pained laugh at that. "You missed the ghouls. Apparently, they're on a treasure hunt for sugar bombs. One of them's a scientist, you see-"

Alan led them into a corridor surrounded by ominously looking toxic waste barrels. Lee's skin tingled painfully when he neared them but that had to be his mind playing tricks. There were no obvious, immediate signs that you were taking too many rads. That was one of the many hazards that wanderers like him had to deal with. The sudden, loud clicking of Wolf and Evie's mini-Geiger counters reminded him that he wasn't alone and didn't have to always be mindful of often inaccurate reports of the radiation levels in areas.

Rachel brought up the rear as they descended into the manhole that Alan had uncovered with one hand. The entire time they followed him up the roughly hewn tunnel, the man kept up an animated conversation with Evie. It was easy to tell how smitten the man was with Echo's mechanic. Now it was Wolf and Lee's turn to share a secretive smile at how brazenly flirtatious both were being. Oddly enough, all the sex had lessened the jealously Lee felt whenever Evie flirted. He had thought it would be just the opposite but it was a welcome change.

_A lot of things I thought about my life haven't exactly come true._ Lee thought with a chagrined smile.

Once the group turned right down a side tunnel, Alan was careful to point out the various traps that The Family had laid. It was a tight corridor, Lee noted, created by train cars on both tracks of the tunnel. The area finally opened up and a small barricade had been set up in an alcove on the left. A figure leaned against the wall, a cigarette held casually between thumb and forefinger as they took a puff, and nodded to Alan in greeting.

"Pleasure to meet you folks." The man said as he joined them.

"That's Robert." Alan told them as he stopped to open a door just outside the opposite end of Robert's hideaway. "He doesn't talk much but I gathered he's been with Vance for a long time. He's over _thirty_."

"If you were normal, I'd still kick your ass, you little shit." Robert muttered while holding the cigarette in the corner of his mouth. "Vance put me in charge of this little operation."

"Why?" Wolf asked as Alan opened a hatch that led into Meresti station proper.

"Guess he didn't explain everything and Alan's been too busy trying to get into that one's pants." Robert jerked a thumb at Evie, who ducked her head in embarrassment as she hurried through the portal. "The older ones like Vance, they have a really hard time staying awake during the day. Vance can do it but he looks fucking _bad_. Brianna, Justin, and that young shit there are the only ones that are half-useful when the sun's up. So they, and me, are all you got. I can help you outside but they'll have to stay in the tunnels."

Earth had been piled up between the tracks to offer a ramp that led up to the bottom level of the station. Long benches had been set up in front of some kind of speaking platform on the upper level. An area of the room farthest from them, beneath the second-level balcony, was obviously some kind of general store. There were several sleeping areas scattered around the first level as well as what looked like a few operating computers. It wasn't a bad place to live if you didn't mind being underground so much.

Just ahead of the benches, someone had set up a long table, and the last two members of the team were finishing their prep. Both wore light flak jackets with ammo vests on top. Urban camouflage pants and black boots made them actually look like they were fighters. It helped that Brianna had a pair of SMGS in shoulder holsters, a Chinese assault rifle, and a 10mm pistol; Justin, on the other hand, had opted for a mini-gun, its ammo pack, and a double-barrel sawed-off for his weapons. Lee thought he caught the conspicuous bulges of multiple grenades in pockets of both flak jackets.

"Good, you're here. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner Bree can get to bed!" Justin greeted them with a smirk in Brianna's direction.

The scarlet-haired woman glared at Justin for a moment before turning to the others. Justin and Alan were obviously watching the Rangers for a reaction but Lee's group simply nodded to the woman in greeting. Lee remembered her eyes being gray before but now they seemed entirely bloodshot with rust-colored pupils.

"Does that hurt?" Evie asked as they gathered around the end of the table where someone had flattened a crude, hand-drawn map out.

"My eyes?" Brianna continued after Evie's nod, "Not really. I just feel a little drained. Tired. Ready for bed. I can make it though."

Robert patted the exhausted looking woman on the shoulder on his way to the head of the table. "Alright. Let's get to it." He waited a moment for everyone to gather around the map before he continued. "The muties've blocked off access from the outbound tunnel with a pair of rail-cars. The inbound tunnel is clear. Alan scouted them out a couple of weeks ago and he says there are at least fourteen in the camp but they're spread out. Seems like they don't like to bunk near each other if they can help it. The muties don't sleep much, from what Alan says, and they maintain a loose perimeter all night. Most of the critters don't bother them except for the occasional rogue radscorp." Robert pointed to the pertinent locations with a thick finger as he spoke. "They had a cage for prisoners here but it's empty now."

"What about their weapons?" Wolf asked, her brows down as she studied the map.

"Mostly hand-to-hand stuff. The usual axes, sledgehammers, and iron fists. The leader has a mini-gun and a few of them have combat shotguns."

"Why haven't they moved in on you guys if they have those numbers and those weapons?" Wolf glanced at Robert with raised eyebrows.

"Muties don't like moving around at night or in really dim light unless they know they have the advantage. The leader came against us when they first took out the village at the railyard. He had ten muties with him then and he was the only one that made it out of the tunnels. Bastard's been building up strength for months to get back at us."

"Then why haven't you taken them out at night?"

Robert smirked bitterly. "It's one thing to take on muties on your terrain and with a shitload of traps but another thing to take them on when they're on a hair-trigger and you're on their turf. The boss disappeared for a while and, one night, Vance tells me they blocked the tunnel off and had even more muties in the camp."

Wolf rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Sounds like this one is smarter than the average mutie."

"Well, that's not saying that much, Wolf." Robert grinned at the Echo quad leader and she returned it briefly.

"So, do you have a plan?"

Robert nodded and stuck a chewing stick into his mouth. "Standard bait-and-switch. Alan tells me you got a really good scout. I figure he can go around to the far side of the yard and set up a few mines. We'll get those muties to gather at that end and then hit them with sniper fire from this overlook here." Robert stabbed a finger down at a point just south of the yard. "When that draws them off, we hit them with fire from the inbound tunnel. By that time, the leader should have his back up and want some payback. He'll follow you into the tunnels or order a number of his men too."

Alan grinned. "Then it's our turn."

"Another thing you should know about us Rangers," Wolf winked at Lee. "We like to have at least one back-up plan."

Robert folded his arms across his chest. "Okay. What's your idea?"

* * *

Lee slithered to the ground between the skeletal remains of tree and a large rock. It was good cover and, if he had been fighting humans, would have been an ideal place to set up his camouflage net and have a field day. He wasn't, though, and being able to move at a moment's notice would be critical. A flash of light from the top of the wide arches that were the entrance and exit to the metro tunnels caught his attention. He removed a small, circular mirror from his pants and flashed the "go" signal.

The super mutants' leader was clever and had essentially encircled the yard by removing all the rail-cars from the interior to form a square. They had cut open the cars to provide firing positions and sleeping quarters for the muties. One was clearly an armory of sorts as it was filled with gleaming, deadly metal on long shafts. There was little cover to be had if any of them were caught in the open.

_Not like muties are known for their accuracy anyway,_ Lee thought as he studied the area through the scope of his rifle.

The Ranger was watching two muties fight over a mysterious hunk of meat when Robert triggered the mines on the other side of the yard. It had been a relatively quiet early morning, broken only by the occasional snarls of the muties, and the detonation of the mines obliterated it. With a bellow of outrage, the super mutant commander made his appearance by throwing aside the canvas curtain covering a wagon directly across from him. Lee's crosshairs found their way to the dead-center of the mutie's forehead and he cursed silently.

_Everyone's gotta have fucking armor!_

This super mutant was garbed head-to-toe in heavy armor that seemed composed of a surprisingly completed series of overlapping plates. Lee had no idea who had made it but he doubted it had come from the hand of a super mutant. Whatever the case, he didn't want to draw every eye to him with a shot that might or might not eliminate his target. The Ranger watched as the leader roared orders at his force and they scrambled to do his bidding. Of course, only about a third of the super mutants were sent to discover the source of the noise. Half of the remainder were sent to patrol the immediate perimeter while the rest were delegated to the interior of the compound.

_Jesus! That thrashing they gave them the last time must have knocked some sense into that pendejo! _

Rachel, in her usual fashion, stirred the pot with a pair of successively fired rockets into the center of the camp from a maintenance entrance to the ingoing train tunnel. Lee watched on in disbelief as one rocket detonated near the leader, engulfing him in a cloud of smoke and flame, to little effect as the super mutant came striding forward out of the thick haze. Three or four of his less armored underlings were bellowing in pain as they rolled on the ground. Soon the patrol were rushing back into the camp's center as Robert started peppering the encampment with assault rifle fire. The leader, so confident in his armor, didn't even bother to take cover as he roared for a mini-gun. One of his more well-armored subordinates brought him the heavy weapon. With surprisingly dexterity, the mutant commander had slipped the ammo pack on and hefted the weapon. He came forward with a defiant roar as he fired a long burst at the rooftop. Robert rolled backwards away from the edge and the commander's advance.

The success of their leader did not go unnoticed among the super mutants. All seven that were combat functional, emerged from their hiding places and charged forward with their melee weapons held high. They were within twenty feet of the blocked entrance when the shutter blocking the inbound tunnel let out the ear-splitting squeal of tortured metal as it rose with lightning speed. Lee could imagine the muties staring in shock for a moment at the dark interior of the tunnel.

Rachel shattered the frozen moment with a short burst from her borrowed mini-gun. That burst stitched a line up the dirt and across the mutant commander's chest. Beyond rocking the armored mutant back on his heels, the attack had little effect. But the following long burst felled several mutants before the leader wisely bellowed for them to get back to cover as he provided covering fire for their retreat.

_What's he up to now?_ Lee wondered as the commander went to an unassuming tarp covering what looked like a random hole. _I thought that was the shit hole._ The thought was no sooner formed than a gigantic shape, easily twelve feet tall, rose into view out of the pit.

This mutant was armored in a lighter version of the commander's armor but the thick metal tower shield he wore on his left arm more than made up for it. A super sledge, looking nearly childlike in the mutant's fist, gleamed malevolently in the light as he groggily looked around. Lee had never heard a shrill super mutant before but the commander was getting close as he pointed back at Rachel, who was still alternating long and short bursts at any mutant brave enough to poke their head up. With a thunderous shout, the twelve-foot mutant charged towards the inbound tunnel with the shield leading the way. Lee sighted on the bare head of the mutant as he lumbered towards his quadmate's position.

_Not yet._ He thought with gritted teeth as he eased up on the trigger.

Rachel stopped firing and the shutter slammed closed before the huge super mutant made it beneath the arch. There was a tremendous crash as the mutant made contact with the relatively thin metal shutter. Several more hits and Lee could tell the barricade had come down. The scouts that had investigated the mines had returned and were directed to set up a close perimeter around the tunnel entrances. A pair were directed to scale the roof. Footsteps and heavy breathing behind Lee caused a smile to come to his lips half a minute before Robert slithered up next to him.

"Goddamnit!" Robert wheezed as he hastily reloaded his assault rifle. "I _am_ getting fucking old."

Lee smirked as the shield-bearer returned from the tunnel's interior with a confused look on his face. What looked like nothing so much as a necklace was firmly wrapped around his neck. Unfortunately for him, the necklace contained about half a dozen grenades.

_Well, I guess Justin did find a use for that ridiculous shit._ Lee thought as the grenades detonated and took with them most of the upper torso of the super mutant.

An oddly entrancing pattern of blood stained the dirt as the super mutant leader led a charge into the tunnels with six of his remaining underlings. Lee had thought the commander would have tried to retreat by now, which was why he had yet to fire, but apparently that was no longer an option.

_I wonder if there's some kind of mutie chain-of-command?_

Lee put that from his mind as he fired his first round into the temple of one of the four sentries.

"I hate super mutants." Robert helpfully added as he fired his assault rifle.

Lee's response was to roll his eyes and keep firing.

* * *

"So then fucking Justin runs around the corner, blood shooting out of his ass cheek, screaming 'Run!', at the top of his lungs, we run... and nothing happens until half a dozen muties come charging down the tunnel!" Brianna was recapping the events in the tunnel to an exhausted Robert as the man stretched out on one of the benches in front of the altar.

"How was I supposed to know that fuckin' mutie would just turn around and go outside when I wrapped the doom-chain around his neck!" Justin exclaimed from where he was belly down on a bench while Alan taped a bandage to his wound.

"The 'doom-chain'?" Alan laughed as he finished and stood. "Really?"

"Hey, it sounded better in my head!" Justin defended his wacky weapon's name and stood to pull his pants up.

The Family had made quick work of the muties once the fight had been joined in the tunnel. Alan's ability to absorb punishment and Justin's stealth had provided an obstacle that the super mutant commander could not overcome with so small a force. With Brianna, Wolf and Evie providing back-up, the mutants were dispatched within a few frantic minutes of comeback. Outside, Robert and Lee had made easy work of the sentries. When it was all said and done, it was the easiest five thousand Echo quad had ever made.

Watching The Family interact was painful though as it reminded him of how Echo used to be before the current situation. Then he looked up at Wolf and Evie counting the money on the table formerly occupied by weaponry. Both looked at him with wide smiles on their faces and sparks in their eyes. He winked at them both and their smiles turned to secretive, tiny grins. It was a little eerie how in synch their expressions were becoming. Lee turned to Rachel, who was seated on a bench behind him, and met a visage that was completely free of expression and that caused his heart to sink a little.

Then the Ranger went back to watching the laughing Family and could only hope they could get back to that someday.

* * *

Rachel had the first watch and she thought it was going to kill her.

The others had decided they really didn't want to overnight in Big Town and answer a million questions from the residents. So Lee had found a rundown, abandoned shack in the middle of an empty patch of wasteland. It was surrounded by low rises that culminated in the raised area the two bedroom place sat on. With an alert sentry, they would have no trouble spotting anyone trying to sneak up on them.

There were no furnishings in the place. Whoever had abandoned the place apparently had plenty of time to pack up. Echo had made do with their bedrolls though. They had also found a solution to the problem of the chill night air and that was what Rachel thought would be her undoing. As she stood, watching for signs of predators of any species, conversations punctuated by muted giggling floated from the next room.

_They're all in their enjoying themselves. Lee's probably got his dick in one or the other by now. Why do I even stick around? They don't need me. No one fucking needs me._

The thoughts, once they started, continued with all the momentum of a rockslide. Tears began to leak from her eyes. Slow at first but, like her thoughts, the streams gained momentum. She fought back a sob long enough to call out into the next room.

"I'm going to walk the perimeter. Be back in a few minutes."

The response was faster than she had thought possible with the scenarios of their activities in her head.

"Hold up. I'll walk it with ya." Lee said and the sound of him stomping into his boots filled the shack.

"No, it's fine. Just need to stretch my legs a bit. I won't be long." Rachel rushed to reassure him.

_Why's he always gotta act so fucking nice?_ She thought bitterly and then breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't join her.

"Be careful, Rach!" Wolf called out to her as she left the house.

Rachel ran for all she was worth until she felt she was far enough away that they wouldn't hear her, tossed her rifle to the ground, and fell to her knees as she let the sobs hit her full force. Great, shuddering heaves of her torso made her feel lightheaded as her forehead sank to the ground. She thought her heart was going to burst through her chest.

_I'm so fucking stupid and useless! Something's going to come along and eat me and I deserve it! Who the fuck runs out in the middle of the night and-_

Rachel grunted as something stuck itself into the back of her neck and a wave of giddiness swept over her. She opened her eyes, wiping away the tears, and found that she couldn't make the world stop folding at the edges.

_What the fuck?_ Everything seemed so slow, even her thoughts, as she looked up at the shadowy figures looming over her.

"Shit, man! All the stories, I thought this fuckin' bitch would be tougher to take out." One of them exclaimed, laughing as he clapped someone on the shoulder.

"I heard that the pale bitch was fuckin' super-gonzo, man. I guess that one was right on the money." Another said and then laughed loudly. "We just scored ourselves ten thousand caps, boys. If we can get all four, that'll make sixty with the bonus."

"You think those Talon boys can get it done?" Now even their voices were sounding distorted.

"Shit, they're ex-Talon. They got kicked out for being _too_ brutal and not following orders. You have to be a fucking gonzo fuckin' hardcase to get kicked outta Talon for somethin' like that."

The unmistakable sound of a party-crasher- Rachel guessed Justin didn't have the sole rights to dumb-sounding names for deadly weapons- filled the night air. A party-crasher was just a tiny explosive charge sealed in a variable thickness crushed glass and ball-bearing filled vial. It wouldn't outright kill anyone unless they were very unlucky but maiming was certainly in its capacity. And it did its job well if the shrill scream of pain that filled the night air was any indication.

_Evie_.

Gunfire, automatics, shotguns, and Lee's Telly, crackled from the direction of the shack as electric torment flooded Rachel's body. The world snapped back into sharp focus in an instant and the Ranger stood.

"Hey! What the fuck!" The one on her left had time to say as stepped forward with a knee to his crotch that lifted him completely off his feet. "Fuuuuuuuu-" He had time to squeal before a solid left hook silenced him.

There were a dozen of them just for her alone.

_The others!_ Rachel grabbed another by the arm, nose wrinkling at the smell of stale sweat and piss that emanated from him, and used him as a human shield while she went for her sidearm. _My weapons! How long have I been laying here?_

Rachel reached down and snatched her shield's weapon, a poorly maintained ten-millimeter that jammed the very first time she pulled the trigger.

_Goddamnit!_ She thought furiously and hurled the weapon at the first fool to charge her.

Rachel snapped her shield's neck as she spun and flipped him through the air into the scav sneaking up behind her. Her body was slightly slower than normal since she was currently fighting off a massive dose of unknown tranquilizer and four of them were able to rush her at once. She managed to land a thrust kick to the crown of one's head but the other three tackled her to the ground.

"Get another tranq in her!" One of them screamed as she bit into his arm and tore off a huge chunk of muscle.

"Crazy bitch!" Another screamed and jammed a needle into her neck which only made her struggle harder.

"Grab her legs, damnit!" And then weights were on her legs but she was still able to buck and struggle beneath their weight. "She's a fucking muto! Hit her with the stunner!"

Lightning flashed through her body and white light sparked in her eyes as every muscles in her body spasmed out of her control. Everyone holding her let go with muted curses and their own convulsions but someone held the stunner on her long enough for its paltry charge to run out.

"The fuck you doin', you fuck!" Someone shouted and cold-cocked the one with the police-issue stunwand. "You could have fucking killed her!"

"Look at her, Joey! That bitch is still moving!"

Rachel, somehow, found herself feebly crawling towards where she had left her quadmates to be ambushed and captured; possibly killed.

_Please! Don't die! Please!_ She screamed in her head since her mouth wouldn't obey her orders at the moment.

"She's definitely a muto! Tie her up!"

Minutes passed as Rachel slipped in and out of consciousness as the tranquilizers overcame whatever endocrine system mutation had allowed her to fight their effects. Her head rolled to the side as the sled they had strapped her to came to a halt thirty or so feet away from a tiny ditch near the bottom of the rise the shack rested on. There were bodies everywhere that Rachel looked. Some looked shot, some looked like a butcher had gone at them, and others could have been sleeping for all Rachel knew.

"Jesus and Mary!" One of the scavs shouted in horror. "They killed all of them!"

"Look, I think that's the one they call the Walker." Rachel raised her head slightly and was able to see where Lee's unmistakable silhouette, combat knife in one hand and a 10mm pistol in the other, was slumped over the body of yet another ex-Talon mercenary. "That's easy money!"

A trio of scavs ran up to the prone body of Lee and one made the mistake of toeing him with his boot. In a blur of motion, Lee's knife was buried to the hilt in the scavs stomach. The man screamed loudly for help as Lee used the hilt of his blade as a handle and spun the man to give himself some cover. Two shots and the other two scavs were reduced to sobbing messes from gutshots.

"Let her go." Lee sounded odd but that was probably the drugs in Rachel's system.

"I don't think so, friend." One of the scavs said smugly. "You look pretty beat up. Blood coming out of your mouth _and_ your guts? I ain't no doc, but I know that ain't good. Look at you. You can barely stand up."

Through the haze of an addled mind, Rachel could see that the scav was telling the truth. Lee looked very unsteady on his feet. In the moonlight, Rachel thought she could see a trail of blood glisten wetly as it dripped from an unseen head wound, and the side of his combat armor was positively coated.

"Maybe so but you don't have many men left, do you? You know who I am, yes? What I've done?" Nervous mutters passed between the scavs. "If you leave her here, right now, I won't gut you like molerat."

"Hmmm, I don't think so." The leader of the scavs, Joey, fired a full clip from his SMG into the chest of his own man.

Lee and the scav fell limply backwards to the ground. The gun Lee had been holding flopped out of his hand and Rachel tried to scream his name but the drugs had too powerful of a hold on her.

_I killed them! I killed all of them!_ Rachel wailed to herself in despair.

"Joey! Regulators! Five of 'em! They're on me! They're behind me!" Someone shouted from what sounded like really far away and then a single gunshot silenced the voice.

"Shit! Get out of here! Run, damn you!" Joey shouted and Rachel's sled began to move.

The last remaining member of Echo quad could only watch her friend's still body through tear-filled eyes as she was carried into an uncertain future.

* * *

_Thanks to everyone that's been following this story. You guys make it worth it._

_A very special thank you to my awesome beta, Juicy-Juice. You the woman, Juicy._


	27. XXVII

Rachel rolled over with a groan and a huge grin on her face. Her vision, blurry from tears of pleasure, took a few seconds to focus on the well-tended sheet metal ceiling. A slender, golden-skinned arm came to rest across her naked chest as she struggled to get her breathing under control. Moans, loud and interspersed with whispered demands, echoed throughout the Megaton home. Lee and Evelyn were obviously enjoying their night together; just as Rachel and Wolf were. The two lovers were laying on the new bed Wolf had purchased after they completed the mission for The Family. Echo quad was flush with caps, food, clean water, and the heady experience of giving in to their carnal desires.

"How was that, Rach?" Wolf asked her with a lazy grin; amber eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Mmmm." Was the only response the taller Ranger could come up with.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment." Wolf slowly ran a hand along Rachel's right triceps. "Think you can sleep now?"

"Sing me a song?" Rachel mumbled, her eyes slowly closing.

Wolf's voice filled the darkness with warm, dulcet tones that melted whatever tension remained in her.

"If I had words, to make a day for you." Rachel could feel the smile in Wolf's voice. "I'd sing you a morning, golden and new." Strong arms fully enveloped Rachel as lips brushed her ear. "I would make this day last for all time and fill the night deep in moonshine." A light kiss was pressed against her mouth and Wolf practically breathed her next words into Rachel's slightly parted lips. "I love you, Katya."

"Wake up, meat!"

Wetness, foul and sticky, was thrown into her face and her reaction was instant.

"Fuck!" She screamed, eyes snapping open and her head jerkomg forward. Unfortunately, her body did not follow as it was currently tied to a concrete wall. "You motherfuckers!"

Rachel screamed as something slapped against her exposed stomach. She quickly looked down to see an oozing welt had been left behind. She raised her head to fix a steely glare on the man with the blonde Mohawk holding the whip. The bastard was dressed like a slaver; clad entirely in metal-studded black leather. There was no doubt that he thought he was a badass if Rachel went by the shit-eating grin on his face.

"Well, you're finally awake, I see. It would have been a shame to tell Eulogy that those dumbfucks managed to dope you so much you went and died on us. A real shame wasting fine talent like yourself."

The overseer, exactly what Rachel had him pegged as, stepped closer, cupped her right breast and ran a rough thumb over her nipple. "Too bad Eulogy wants to meet you first. We coulda had some fun before you get sent to the block."

Rachel smiled at the man and was rewarded with a rotten one in return. Her throat was dry as the Waste but she managed to dredge up enough moisture to spit a thick glob right onto his lips. The overseer stepped back with a muffled curse as he wiped his mouth. The whip lashed out three more times, almost faster than the eye could follow, and tiny ribbons of blood welled up across her abdomen. The Ranger only allowed small grunts to escape her with each strike and that seemed to further infuriate the man.

Cruel laughter came from the gate at the far end of the large cage that had been built between the wings of the building behind her. A woman, nearly Rachel's height, leaned against the chainlink gate. Thick fingers gripped the gate as she pressed her face close. It was hard to tell, Rachel's eyes were still blurry from the water, but the woman's vibrant red hair seemed to have been shaved in the middle with her remaining hair styled into wings sweeping back from her head. She was also dressed in merc leathers but only a vest covered her upper body instead of a jacket.

"Better not damage the goods too much, Forty. Eulogy liked the look of that cunt. He'll cut your fuckin' balls off if you beat her too bad." A twisted smile formed on the woman's lips. "Think he'll let me watch?"

"Fuck off, Carolina! Go back to humpin' Jotun's leg, bitch!" Forty turned to brandish his whip at the woman as he shouted.

"You gonna make me, Forty?" There was that cruel laughter again. "Wanna make me forty-one?"

The overseer's coiled whip quivered with the force of his grip on the weapon as Carolina laughed. Rachel could not see his face but the murderous glare he was leveling at his fellow slaver was as clear as day from his body language. The Ranger took the distraction as an opportunity to test how securely she was bound. They had tied her with old, frayed rope to a pair of rusted iron hoops bolted into the wall. Several sharp, quick tugs had the hoops visibly cracking the concrete. She could feel the rope giving slightly beneath the pressure she was exerting. That small amount of exertion had her arms trembling slightly and that gave her an idea of just how long she had been sedated.

_You can do this._ She tried to motivate herself but the icy pit in her middle refused to heat up to its usual boil.

"C'mon, Forty! You a fuckin' man or are ya fuckin' meat?" Carolina egged the overseer on. Forty took a step forward, and the sadistic grin on her face grew even more.

"Is there a problem here, Mister Forty?" A voice spoke up from directly behind the slaver called Carolina and the woman's face blanched. "Mister Jones sent me to see what was taking so long with the prisoner. Why are you here, Miss Red?"

"Miss Red was just asking if I needed any help with the fresh meat here, Clover. You can tell Mister Jones that we'll be right there." Forty answered, his voice wavering in its nervousness as Carolina stepped to the side.

Rachel was surprised to discover that the speaker was at least half a foot shorter than Carolina Red and had a willowy frame barely hidden by a flowing pre-War dress. Her blonde hair was parted to the side in an asymmetrical cut and, combined with lipstick and eyeshadow, gave her the impression of a housewife. The control-collar around her neck and the Chinese longsword at her hip told Rachel that the woman was probably a body-slave to Eulogy Jones, the current lord of Paradise Falls.

"Mister Jones wanted me to make sure that the meat was taken care of before he got a chance to give her an exam." Clover's bright blue eyes narrowed as she spoke of this examination. "Was there anything else, Miss Red?"

"No, ma'am." Carolina Red said, her accent suddenly so thick Rachel could barely follow it, "I'll just be goin' now."

The sadistic slaver practically sprinted away from the deceptively placid-looking woman in the dress. Clover took Carolina's place at the gate and watched with steely eyes as Forty turned to untie Rachel. He undid one hand first and tied that one to the opposite that was still attached to the wall. Then the slaver made the mistake of placing her hands in front of her and not securing her feet in shackles. She took several steps before stumbling and falling to her knees.

"Stop sandbagging, cunt!" Forty yelled, seemingly glad to have someone to vent his frustrations on, he raised his coiled whip to slap her with.

Rachel broke her bindings with a single, convulsive motion that carried her forward inside the overseer's swinging arc. Before he could let out a sound of alarm, Rachel was gripping him by the balls and under his left armpit. She heaved him upwards into the top of the cage and snatched his falling whip from the air as he landed on his back with a sickening thud. A wave of dizziness threatened to bring her back to her knees as she tried to focus on the cage door that the slave, Clover, was even now passing through.

_Let's go, bitch._ Rachel though with a mental snarl as she took three long strides before hurling her captured whip at the woman.

With contemptuous ease, Clover batted the offending weapon away with her longsword. Her eyes widened for a fraction of second before Rachel's fist connected perfectly with the point of her jaw. Those eyes maintained that shocked expression as consciousness fled while Clover's limp body flew several feet back through the cage door. Rachel nearly blacked out when she knelt to retrieve the abandoned longsword. She had been trained with one but that seemed a lifetime ago.

_Time to move, Rachel. C'mon. You've got people to-_ Rachel bit her lip to stop herself from completing the thought as she gingerly stepped over the threshold.

While catching her breath outside the cage, shouts began spreading throughout the compound. Rachel had no idea what the layout of Paradise Falls was but she knew that the dead-end to her left wasn't viable. With a sharp gasp of pain and anxiety, Rachel began to jog down the only clear path she could see. The injured Ranger made it past a chokepoint where two high panels of sheet metal narrowed the path before she had to stop catch her breath. She found herself in an open area with a roasting pit and pool table on her right; what she thought was a bar sat at the far end of the path on her left.

That brief respite proved to be her undoing as slavers seemed to materialize from every crevice. Her vision was starting to gray at the edges but she thought there had to be at least two dozen slavers surrounding her. Carolina Red came out of the crowd with that same malicious grin. She slowly drew a serrated combat knife from her belt sheath and gestured to the crowd with her empty hand. Rachel made a quick turn to see several more slavers emerge with their own knives in hand. Carolina pointed the tip of her knife at Rachel and then made a cutting motion against her own neck. The slavers began howling like animals as they closed in to finish the Ranger off. Rachel instinctively settled into a low stance with her blade held perpendicular to her shoulder and the tip point directly at Carolina's throat.

_At least I'll take this fucking cunt with me._

"Hold it, Red!" A woman's voice bellowed from the crowd as a dark-skinned woman in a black lace bustier and a red pre-War miniskirt shoved her way through the crowd. Like Clover, she had a slave collar around her neck and a naked Chinese longsword gripped in one fist.

Behind the body-slave, a tall man dressed in a pre-War suit in a blinding red color, stepped forward with an air of confidence that had even the hardened slavers like Carolina shrinking in on themselves. He took off his wide-brimmed hat, red but with a black band, and ran a hand along his close-cropped hair. A handsome face the same shade as his body-slave examined the half-naked Ranger with a critical eye before his lips curved into a smile.

"I want her alive, intact, and in my pad for clean-up in an hour. Crimson, go find that useless piece of meat Clover and, if she's alive, tell her that she'll be given to Grouse for the night as punishment."

Crimson's face twisted for a brief moment behind Eulogy Jones, because that's the only person this could be, before she replied in a sultry voice, "Whatever you say, Daddy."

Quickly, both figures disappeared back into the crowd of slavers only to be replaced by a livid Forty. The man was being helped by a pair of younger slavers, barely fourteen if Rachel had to guess, and one of his eyes was already swelled shut. That did not stop him from uncoiling his whip before Rachel could react and zipping it forward to snag the longsword out of Rachel's already unsteady grip.

"Somebody get a tra-" Forty started to say but Carolina beat him to it.

"Fuck that! Get her!" The crazed slaver followed her own order and ran forward with a banshee shriek.

Instead of trying to stop Carolina and her three associates, Forty simply chortled to the shock of the slavers that heard him. Instead of meekly waiting for the slavers to beat her into compliance, Rachel darted towards the one coming from her left. She ducked under the sloppy, looping right hand and hooked the arm at the shoulder with her bicep. Four quick underhand jabs to the liver lifted the smaller man off his feet and Rachel used the leverage her shoulder-lock provided to hurl him head-over-heels back into the crowd. She spun into a wheel-kick that caught the slaver coming up behind her flush in the jaw. He stiffened up instantly and fell backwards with one fist still cocked for a punch. That caused the last male opponent to hesitate and slow his own frantic charge. Rachel exploded into an uppercut that lifted him completely off his feet to land in a dazed heap directly on his ass.

"Fuck you!" Carolina Red spat in her thick, irritating accent only to have Rachel barrel into her so that they were chest-to-chest.

Before Carolina knew what was happened, Rachel had snaked one arm over her shoulder while the opposite arm was thrust under the corresponding side's shoulder. With a minimal twist of her core muscles, hips, and legs, Carolina's entire body was sailing through air only to land a second later with bone-crushing force on the unforgiving concrete. Rachel sat on the woman's stomach and began raining down punches with all her remaining strength. Her arms, already rubbery, felt like pillows to her but the effect on her foe was devastating. Carolina did a good job of defending the first couple of shots but bruises began to appear on her forearms almost instantly. One punch managed to sneak through to clip her forehead and then her arms began to slowly separate. Rachel punched and punched until Carolina spat out several teeth; that was when someone hit her in the back with a powerful brahmin-prod.

* * *

"Boss, I'm telling you, be careful with this one. She broke those ropes like they were nothin', knocked Clover out with one punch, and _threw_ me like I was a kid! Did you see what she did to Red?"

"Yes, I did, Forty. I've been meaning to ask: Why was she allowed to try to subdue my newest acquisition by hand when I told you I wanted this woman intact?"

"You know how she is, Boss! This bitch is even faster than Red, I'm tellin' ya. Before I could even get the prod, she was beating the ever-lovin' shit out of Red's face!"

"Red's one of our top earners, Forty, and Cutter says she'll be unfit for at least two weeks. That's coming out of your pay."

"O-okay, Boss. Whatever you say."

"Now, leave me alone. I want to sample this delicate piece of meat." Several seconds passed after the sound of footsteps faded away before Eulogy spoke up. "I know you're awake, meat. Do me the courtesy of opening those pretty eyes of yours."

Rachel slowly opened her eyes and focused on the shirtless visage of Eulogy Jones as he lounged on the edge of the bed. She turned her head to either side and stifled a groan at the knowledge that she was chained, this time by heavy steel, to a heart-shaped bed. To make matters worse, she was garbed in a translucent silk nightie without panties or bra. She knew what was coming, had prepared for it ever since she had been exiled, but her heart still began to pound like thunder in her chest.

Eulogy took a moment to kneel on the edge of the bed by her feet and simply stare. He clucked his tongue and grinned. "You really are much more beautiful than they say you are. Oh, don't give me that look. Of course I know who you are. You're Rachel McAdams, heavy weapon specialist of Echo Quad, Reilly's Rangers. You and your quad, such a quaint play on words, have personally made more powerful enemies in your short time in the Wastes than that bitch that runs the Regulators has in her entire life." Eulogy crawled up Rachel's body so that she could see he was at least wearing a pair of amazingly clean boxers and settled on his side just below her left armpit. She cringed as he ran a finger along the hollow in her throat. "Why do we call you 'meat', you wonder? Well, the answer is simple, my sweet. People are strange. Half of those slavers out there were only one bullet away from being slaves themselves. Helps them get over it if they don't look at the merchandise as actual _people_. Myself? I find it cheapens what we do. We're merchants of flesh, human flesh, and we fulfill a crucial need in this world of ours."

"You're a sadist, rapist, and murderer. Be glad that my quad never got around to you, motherfucker."

A sharp backhand to her cheek elicited a gasp of pain that Rachel quickly shut off. "Someone with a mouth as delectable looking as yours should not sully it with such filth. I apologize for that but let it be a lesson to you, Rachel. I'm trying to offer you a chance to avoid future unpleasantness. I haven't even put a control-collar on you yet, have I?"

"You don't have any new ones built. Your trading season is over. I'm not stupid." Rachel sneered at him. "Let's just get it over with. I've got shit to do."

Another backhand but this time Rachel was ready for it.

"Let another profanity slip from those lips and I won't be as gentle next time." Eulogy shook his hand slightly and grinned. "You have surprisingly strong bones with that facial structure. Now, on to business. I have several gentlemen from the PA and Virginia Syndicates coming to bid for you in a week. Additionally, a local ganglord from West Virginia also wants to bid, as well as a coalition of several local gangs from around the Wastes that are just _salivating_ to get a chance to get some payback on one of you Rangers. It really is quite amazing how quickly you Rangers have become a thorn in so many backsides. I had heard of Reilly, as it is in a slaver's best interest to keep an eye on talented mercs, but I never imagined she would come out of the comfortable niche she dug for herself Downtown." Now Eulogy was idly running a thumb along Rachel's right nipple. "I guess it's all that Lone Wanderer's fault. Did you know that TenPenny has a five thousand cap bounty out on his head? No, I suppose even _he_ doesn't know yet. But he will, you can count on that."

"Please get to the fucking point already."

This time the blow was hard enough to cause her to see stars and, when they cleared, Eulogy was kissing her cheek tenderly.

"You have spirit, Ranger. I need that kind of spirit. Crimson and Clover are good body-slaves but they're not you and they're getting long in the tooth. I can save you from the torture my customers will undoubtedly force you to endure until you expire. All you have to do is agree to be mine, forever, to service my _every_ whim."

Rachel closed her eyes and tried to still her rapidly beating heart. She knew that everything Eulogy was saying was true, but could she really spend her life in the service of a man responsible for so much misery in the Waste? A flash of Lee's face, laughing, as the two shared a joke appeared before her. Then it was Evelyn with her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she worked on a particularly stubborn piece of machinery. Tears began to flow down her cheeks as Wolf's face, silently mouthing 'I love you', appeared before her. Then she knew what she had to do.

The defiant Ranger turned her face into Eulogy's and bit down as hard as she could on his jaw. Eulogy roared in pain and grabbed the top of her head as he tried to pry her off. He succeeded but she took a chunk of flesh with her. She spit it out onto his chest before he could stumble back.

"How's that for an answer!" She screamed through a mouth full of his blood. "Go fuck yourself, you fucking fuck!"

Eulogy was on her in the blink of an eye, hands wrapped around her throat, eyes bloodshot with fury. "I'll fucking kill you, bitch!"

Rachel's mind was already retreating into itself so she was hardly aware of the words she spoke next.

"Omae wa? Watashi wo korosu? Anta no haka no ue ni dansu suru, yowamushi!"

Rachel's last sight was of Eulogy's bloody visage twisted in rage as he screamed incoherently inches from her face.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Translations:**

**"Omae wa? Watashi wo korosu? Anta no haka no ue ni dansu suru, yowamushi!": "You? Kill me? You spineless beetle, I'll dance on your grave!"**


	28. XXVIII

_God, my nose itches._ That was Rachel's first clear thought that she retained longer than a second after having it. _How long have I been out? What did they do to me?_

Her panic, automatically mitigated by anger, was heightened at the realization that she couldn't open her eyes. They felt sealed shut but there was no pain so she assumed she still had them. When she tried to move, she found that she was bound by what sounded like thick chain.

_What the fuck?_

Then the memories came crashing back and a sob threatened to break from her throat. Not for her but for what she had left her quad to.

_No, not my quad. My family. So stupid. The Clan was right. They were all so right. I'm fucking worthless and bring nothing but misery. I should have died. Why didn't that fuck kill me?_

"Why didn't you kill this muto bitch, Boss?" It took a few seconds for Rachel to remember Forty's name and face but, when she did, a low growl rumbled in her chest. "Goddamnit. I hate it when she does that. How the fuck is she even making noise? All her goddamn holes closed up days ago! She hasn't even pissed since we stopped givin' her water!"

A woman's voice, unfamiliar, but full of distaste for Forty, sighed as she told him, "I told you yesterday, Forty. Just because she grew those flaps doesn't mean she can't pass air through them. All you need to make sound is air and she's obviously getting it."

"Well, shit, Cutter. Her nose looks closed up ta me."

"That's not what most concerns me, Cutter. What most concerns me is the fact that, not only can she make noise, but she still required several of my strongest to restrain her once we took her down."

"You had her hoisted above the entrance for how many days? Five? That heat and exposure, especially at night, should have killed her. I'm surprised you let her get to you that bad, Mister Jones."

There was a startled squeak followed by Jones' angry growl. "You saw what this muto did to me, Cutter. You had to patch me up yourself, so you know _exactly_ why I did what I did. If the meat doesn't respect me, how can I expect these animals to?" Metal clattered and something on wheels rolled across the floor. "Now, I want you to tell me exactly what we're dealing with, and I don't want any smarmy comments."

"What's smarmy mean, Boss?" Forty asked since he was evidently too dumb to know when to keep his mouth shut.

"Do you want to use that cane for another month, Forty? No? Then I advise you to _shut the fuck up_!" The sudden change in volume gave a glimpse into just how unhinged Eulogy Jones actually was.

The doctor, Cutter, cleared her throat quietly before speaking. "I don't know exactly what we're dealing with, Mister Jones. I'm just making guesses based on experience. I think the sun is keeping her alive."

There was a moment of silence before Jones burst out into laughter. "So she's a plant? Cutter, I think you've been drinking some of that antiseptic shit you're always making me buy."

"I'm serious. How else do you explain how she managed to stay strong enough to fight like that when she wasn't even fully conscious? Or how she didn't die hanging in that cage for five nights? I think her body's taking in the sunlight and using that to give her strength. That's why she didn't burn before she started growing those things all over."

"What the Hell are they anyway?" Forty asked and Rachel felt a finger poke her in the side. "They look like giant pimples to me."

"I think they're some way her body has of keeping water loss down. Like those flaps or whatever she grew to cover her nose. We lose water through our noses and mouths all the time just by breathing. I think that stops a lot of that when she exhales. I can't be sure but it makes sense when you put that with the fact that she stopped peeing."

"How come she clamped up like that after she went out?" Eulogy asked in an odd tone.

"Well, the vagina is muscular, as is the rectum. All muscles contract. Maybe it's a defense mechanism?"

"It really is a helluva defense mechanonism! Couldn't even get in the bitch's mouth, her jaw was shut so tight." Forty felt the need, once again, to chime in.

The knowledge that she had avoided complete violation was little comfort to the captive woman. She had still been at the mercy of slavers and she knew how merciful they could be.

"How are her injuries?" Jones asked, a gentle hand turned her head from side to side.

"The bruising on her face and legs will be there for a few more days. The lacerations to her back and chest, well, they're almost completely healed from what I can tell."

"Bullshit!" Forty brayed. "We whipped that bitch good! She got at least fifty lashes! I saw a guy die from ten once!"

"Look for yourself then, Forty!" Cutter barked, obviously at her wit's end with the man's constant interruptions.

"Watch who your barkin' at, bitch! I'll cut your fuckin' titties off!"

"Enough, Forty, or I'll have Clover slice something of yours off!" That statement quieted both slavers and the silence lasted a long time before Jones spokes again. "She stays here. Get her cleaned up and patched up as best you can, Cutter. Forty, when the clients get here, I want her armor back on her ass even if you have to prop her up. We stand to make a lot of caps on this muto and I want to make a good impression."

"Yes, Boss, but-"

The rest of the conversation became increasingly hard to follow, as though she were sinking deep underwater, until she fell into troubled unconsciousness.

* * *

Crimson stood on the left corner of the bar, right hand gripped around the hilt of her sword while the other rested on the pommel, and did her best to appear unaffected by the array of scum in front of her. Clover flanked the other side of the bar and, combined with the two dozen slavers that Jones had called in to provide security, was a weak bolster to her confidence. Mister Jones, Cutter, Pronto, and Forty sat on stools on the tending side of the bar as if they were holding court. Seated at round tables a dozen feet from the bar were an assorted collection of booze-and-drug runners, raiders, and what Mister Jones had called a 'puffed-up raider with delusions of grandeur'. Each client had only been allowed to bring two bodyguards and whatever personal weapons they had with them. Those personal weapons amounted to enough firepower to level the place.

_What kind of crazy bastards brings Fat Mans to a meet?_ Crimson thought to herself but long years of ownership by Mister Jones had given her the ability to school her features into complete neutrality.

Each representative had also brought sizable camps with them, the puffed-up raider's being the largest at nearly forty, and that was what troubled Crimson the most. The Falls was a fortress, maybe the third toughest behind Rivet City and Megaton, but she doubted they could hold out against those numbers with that kind of firepower. Mister Jones was playing a dangerous game but he fancied himself a master player.

"Are we gunna see this bitch or what, Jones? I'm startin' ta think you ain't got shit." The puffed-up Raider drawled in a thick accent Crimson had never heard. He was a big man clad entirely in metal armor. The helmet he had entered The Falls with now sat on the table to reveal a nasty scar across his face that had taken one of his eyes. It was a disgusting sight but what drew the most attention was the Power Hammer he carried that was even now crackling with energy. Lord McKenna, as he called himself, ran a hand along his bald head and growled. "Those fucks killed my cousin and that calls fer blood. I'm not leavin' here until I get my due."

"The big guy's right," That was Louie Ventallini, a drugrunner from Maryland that Mister Jones had sold merchandise to before. "I wanna see this cunt. I heard these Rangers were like ghosts and impossible to catch."

"Nothing is ever impossible for one such as I, Louie." Mister Jones replied smoothly before turning to Forty. "If you please, Forty."

Forty stood, probably preening as he let the clients take in the sight of his heavily armed person, and walked to a tall wooden shed they had specially built to one side of the bar. He opened it with a dramatic flourish to reveal the overly secured shape of the crazy Ranger. She had a ball-gag in her mouth and a strap around her throat that was connected to a thick pole that had been driven deep into the ground. Her arms and legs were bound together by a system of chains behind her back and around the pole. The disgusting boils, or whatever they were, had shrunk and flaked off her skin after Cutter had started giving her some water. Now the Ranger's head listed lifelessly and, when Forty raised her head to look at him, there was no awareness in her eyes.

"Gentlemen, I present to you the heavy weapons specialist of Echo Quad: Rachel!" Mister Jones pointed at the captive with far more dramatic flair than Forty, who had scampered back behind the bar as soon as the door was open.

"I've heard of Echo!" This was Milo; a short man with a slicked back greaser haircut and a black suit that he seemed to think made him intimidating. He represented a small gang of booze makers and distributors from Virginia. "They were hired to escort that ghoul that took over from Moriarty. I heard that one of them was a tall, leggy bitch with black eyes! Just like that bitch!"

"I assure you, gentlemen, that she is the genuine article. The freelancers that acquired her lost several men and she nearly killed several of my own in an escape attempt shortly upon waking." Mister Jones stopped speaking as Lord McKenna stood, towering over everyone, and stared with barely disguised madness at the bound Ranger.

"I'll give you two thousand caps." He growled, baleful blue eye never leaving his quarry.

"Two-one!" That came from the Mohawk'd, scantily-clad representative of the coalition of raiders who's lives had become living hells thanks to Reilly's Rangers.

"Two-two!" Ventallini barked, rising to his feet.

Then the bidding began in earnest as the five groups vied for the opportunity to give the Ranger a long, painful death. Mister Jones seemed content with sitting back and letting them run out of air but had to intervene when the big man's hand went to his Power Hammer.

"Enough!" Mister Jones bellowed and, not surprisingly, the arguing clients settled down almost instantaneously. "I have decided to have a slight change of plans, gentlemen. There will be no bidding to determine who gets to take this prize. Instead, the bidding will decide who earns the right to enter gladiators to entertain us as they fight this Ranger to the death. In that way, all here can at least gain some satisfaction in seeing a Ranger die."

"Where's the fun if she's all tied up?" The raider representative pondered, her face twisted as she tried to process Mister Jones' words.

Mister Jones smiled. "Oh, did I mention she won't be? Bets will be made on how long she lasts as well as if she wins. There can also be counter-bidding if the bid is high enough to qualify for melee weapons to give our dear Ranger a chance of victory. The bids have to be at least five thousand caps to even start discussing weapons." None of them looked pleased, least of all the giant foreigner, until Mister Jones continued. "It would be a shame if she were ended too quickly."

At that, all of them began nodding, and then the bidding started again.

_God, I hate them all._ Crimson thought and caught a glimpse of the Ranger. Her black eyes were dull and seemed dead. A modicum of pity welled up from somewhere hidden deep within Crimson and she quickly squashed it. _No sense in pitying the dead._

* * *

BREAK

The sky was clear, blue and breathtaking in the early morning light. It would have been a good morning to get up and go jogging. Instead, thanks to her own idiocy, Rachel was locked to a post of some kind in the center of a dome-like cage that the slavers had erected in the open area in front of the bar. An electronically controlled, magnetic lock kept her thick, metal handcuffs together around the hip-high post as she sat on the ground. It was a humiliating position but Rachel couldn't bring herself to care.

To the Ranger's chagrin, the slaver's resident doctor was decent at her job. She was stiff and sore in more places than she could count but all of her major injuries were cleared up. Whatever strange thing that had happened to her while she was unconscious had also faded away. Now she looked like her normal self except that her musculature was far more apparent thanks to the paltry supply of water she had been receiving lately. Rachel had not bothered to thank the doctor for anything though and had mutely let herself be tended to.

The slavers had dressed her in her old fatigues, filthy with who knew what, and a tiny breastband that had even her meager cleavage oozing out of the top. Fingerless gloves offered a small degree of protection for her hands. That was the extent of the gear she was to receive for fighting to the death.

_Why bother fighting, bitch?_ Her inner voice decided to speak up once again just when she needed the pep talk. _What do you think is going to happen when you get out of here, huh? Lee'll be waiting for you with that dumb smile and call you 'piernas'? Evie will run up to you and squeal at you to come look at her new gadget? Wolf'll come into your bed and hold you while she sings you to sleep? Ha! You got them all killed, you useless cunt! They're dead so why don't you just lay down and die._

It sounded, more and more, like the best idea in the world.

_Maybe today's the day?_ Rachel mused as she looked around the raucous men and women crowding around the cage.

Eulogy and three of the representatives were sitting on a lookout platform with their bodyguards arrayed around them. For a fleeting moment, the desire to choke the life out of each one with her bare hands simmered within her but was quickly snuffed.

_Easier to just lay down and die, huh, cunt?_

"Are you ready for a show, Paradise Falls?" Eulogy suddenly crowed from his perch. "Well, we're going to get one this fine, fine morning! You all know about our newest acquisition. She's powerful, fast, and dangerous! A hero among heroes! A champion of champions! Ranger Rachel of Echo Quad!" The boos echoed loudly in Rachel's ears but her expression remained the same as she stared vacantly at the post. "Arrayed against her, for the meager price of three thousand and four hundred caps, is the Scourge of Appalachia, conqueror of the savage tribes of eastern Kentucky and a badass motherfucker who I wouldn't mess with on my drunkest day pumped full of Psycho. I give you, Lord McKenna!"

Someone roared like a rabid animal from the opposite side of the cage. Rachel peeped around the post and saw a big man in metal armor pounding his chest to get the crowd pumped up. He didn't have to try that hard as the cheers threatened to collapse the deceptively shoddy-looking cage. Three other men were flanked around him and did their own chest thumping as the crowd drove itself into a frenzy.

"Release the Ranger and let the entertainment begin!"

Rachel's arms sprung apart and the relief in her back was instant. She flopped backwards, legs sprawled out around the post, and watched a distant figure slowly circle overhead. The crowd quieted slightly as she made no move to rise but then erupted back into furious shouting. A massive shadow fell over her and then Rachel was being lifted into the air under both arms. She was being held up so that the tips of her toes barely touched the ground by two of the big man's flunkies. The third wrapped his arms around her forehead and neck as he leaned in to lick her earlobe.

"Gonna fuck you up good, bitch. That make you wet?" He asked and squeezed her neck tighter.

"Thought you'd put up a tougher fight than this, cunt." McKenna drawled slowly and then, with surprising quickness, buried a fist in her gut.

The pain was immediate and horrendous; Rachel thought she would have puked if her stomach wasn't so empty. As it was, she retched for several moments before a short uppercut hit her square in the chin and rocked her back into an upright position. A looping left hook followed that and stars exploded in her vision. Then the bastard went back to the body; lefts and rights in a seemingly endless combo. Her body was held completely immobile by the three goons as she was subjected to the beating. Thankfully, his metal gloves had been replaced by supple leather ones or her ribs would have shattered quickly.

Slowly, the pain faded into the background, only spiking when he slapped her in the face in humiliating fashion to make sure she was still awake. He had opened up a cut on her chin with that uppercut and blood was freely flowing down her chest but she didn't care. It would be over before the day was through. He was too full of adrenaline to draw it out for days; the crowd too eager for blood. Rachel closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable.

_That's right, bitch. Just die._

_Piernas, you really are loca. Really, really loca. Your head is very strange, Rach. Wouldn't know where to start fixing it even if I knew how._

_Lee?_ She thought in disbelief. _Have I taken too many shots to the head?_ Honestly, she had lost all recollection of what was happening to her in the real world.

_So, this puta that tells you to die, you don't question. I talk and you think you took too many to the head. Thanks, Rach. Thanks a lot._

_I've been hearing that voice since I was eight!_ She confessed something she never had to another soul and, strangely enough, didn't even think about the fact that she was probably confessing to her own fractured psyche.

_Well, now I'm here, too. So deal with it._ The Lee in her head was speaking as Lee did when it was time to kill; quiet and earnest. _What the fuck are you doing?_

_Waiting to die._

_Why?_

_Why not? I fucked everything up. You're dead. Evie's dead. Wolf... is dead! I deserve to die, too, for what I did! Don't you fucking hate me? How couldn't you hate me?_

_I never hated you, Piernas. Even when you were mean to me when we first met? _Rachel could almost hear the smile in his voice. _I thought you were a bitch but I never hated you._

Rachel felt a giggle coming on and just couldn't stop herself.

"This bitch is laughing at us!" One of the men holding her shouted incredulously.

"Stomp her ass!" McKenna roared and Rachel felt herself falling to the ground.

_I remember that you liked staring at my legs and ass when you thought I wasn't looking!_ Rachel accused as the kicks started coming from all directions.

This time it was Lee's turn to laugh in embarrassment. _Well, yeah. I am a man even if I pretend I'm a robot sometimes, piernas. You've got great legs and a nice ass, you know it. What I was trying to say is that I never, ever hated you. I think I loved you even when I threatened to kill you when you pulled that razor on me._

_Really?_ Rachel asked in bewilderment.

_In case you haven't noticed, I'm not right in the head either. Why do you think I still stared at your legs in the shower the next day? Normal people, wherever they are, would have stayed far away. So, yes, I loved you a little even then._

Tears began to fall from her cheeks, burning even behind her eyelids, and McKenna began to laugh cruelly.

"Look, boys, she ain't laughin' now!"

_I'm sorry, Lee. So fucking sorry._

_Oh, stop that. You know it'll take more than a wannabe with a subby to do me. We will see each other again, Katya. _At the use of that name, Rachel's entire being stilled. _You're a proud warrior of the Shining Mountain Clan, even in exile. You fight, you live and, when you're free, you will love and be loved. Forever._ Lee's eyes, shining with a golden light, suddenly filled her vision._ Now get your pale ass up and fucking fight._

Rachel's hand clenched around a fistful of dirt and she began to rise.

* * *

Crimson watched with barely disguised amusement as Forty cursed under his breath at the beating the Ranger was taking. She, Clover, and Forty were standing guard over Mister Jones while Lord McKenna had his fun in the cage. Clover had seemed confused when the Ranger had simply sprawled onto her back and waited for McKenna's men to pick her up. Even Mister Jones seemed to have trouble believing what he was seeing after the ferocious fight she had put up when they had first put her in chains.

"Looks like these Rangers are overrated!" Ventallini shouted to be heard over the frenzied crowd. "I have to say, Jones, this was a fantastic idea! It would have sucked to not see one of those fuckers get theirs."

"Yeah." Mister Jones answered, gazing intently in the ring.

Crimson knew that he had hoped the Ranger would at least win once so he could make even more money off of her but it didn't look like it would happen. Now they had the bloody Ranger on the ground, curled up like a baby, as they kicked her.

"I told you that you shouldn't have bet all your caps on her, Forty." Mister Jones chastised Forty as the man began sweating like a pig in the early morning coolness.

"You didn't see her before, Boss. I'm tellin' you. Just wait."

"She's standing." Clover said, so low that they almost missed it.

It was true. To Crimson's astonishment, the Ranger was standing despite all the damage that she had sustained. From her body language, she was in tremendous pain but, as she turned to face her tormentors, that all vanished. They were too far away to see her expression, especially through the mask of blood that had covered her face and painted her breastband a lurid pink, but her posture was pure predatory intent.

"Here we go! That's the look! She's gonna tear those fucks apart now!" Forty blurted out as he rubbed his hands together greedily.

McKenna gestured contemptuously for one of his shirtless men, the heaviest one, to gather her for his leisurely pleasure. The man nodded, turning with a leer they could see from the platform, and approached with unhurried, arrogant steps. He reached out a hand to grab her by the neck. In the blink of an eye, literally, the Ranger somehow had the man on his knees with that arm stretched out at a painful angle behind him. With another motion almost too fast to follow, Rachel snapped her forearm down into his arm and the effect was gruesome. The entire limb bent the wrong way at the elbow, a jagged shard of bone pierced the skin, and bright blood spurted out in a torrent. Screaming, high and frantic, quieted the crowd as the injured man cradled his mangled limb. Rachel, quite calmly, circled to the opposite side, gripped his head and threw him with a deceptive ease despite the fact that he probably outweighed her by thirty pounds.

Crimson could tell from the way his body ragdolled that McKenna's man was dead before he collided with enough force to bend the cage wall. That didn't stop McKenna's remaining men from charging headlong at her and Crimson could tell just from the way the woman was standing with her back to them that it was a big mistake.

The Ranger sidestepped and, again, moved with blinding quickness as her elbow snapped up to meet the leading man directly in the chin. Such was the power behind that lightning-fast strike, that the man was lifted off his feet only to be brought back down to earth by a sickening hammerfist to the nose. He struck headfirst and his body bent above him at a sickening angle. The remaining musclebound oaf raised his hand way back for a powerful overhand left that never made it to the target as Rachel stepped into his punch with a straight right. Legs collapsing under him, it was obvious the man was unconscious but the Ranger leaped into the air and came down with a knee to the throat. Holding him there, she landed five brutal punches that obliterated his facial features.

McKenna, using his own men as a distraction, ran up to try to punt the Ranger in the face. Crimson barely followed what happened next but it seemed as though the Ranger caught or avoided the kick, pushed McKenna on his butt, squatted above him, and wrenched that same leg far behind his shoulder. McKenna's cry of pain completely silenced the crowd. Rachel threw the leg to the side with casual power and did a little hop that had her mounting McKenna in a position that would have been suggestive if not for the big man throwing punches from his back in an effort to dislodge her. For his trouble, Rachel broke both wrists in seconds, as she adjusted her seat high on his armored chest.

The Ranger cupped the back of McKenna's head and looked into his eyes for some strange reason. Crimson thought she was speaking to him and, from the wad of spit he delivered to her chest, he didn't like what she had to say. Then her hand was clutching his throat, fingers digging and digging until blood oozed from around them, and the entire time she was staring into McKenna's rolling eyes. After several long moments, Rachel finally ripped the man's throat out, flesh and trachea quivering as she let it fall to the side. Her eyes never left Lord McKenna's as the mighty Scourge of Appalachia died struggling to take a simple breath.

Once he had expired, Rachel flopped to the side in the same position she had begun the battle to the death. The entirety of The Falls was deathly silent at the unexpected turn of events; all but one.

"Fuck yeaaaaaaah! I knew it! Where's my caps!?" Forty roared to the heavens.

* * *

A/N: When Rachel rises from the near-dead, I always hear the main theme from Xena: Warrior Princess. As that is sung by the National Bulgarian Choir, I think it fits in considering the choir represents at least a small portion of Rachel's ethnic background. Thanks for reading.


	29. XXIX

"Did you see that, Boss?" Crimson stifled a grimace at the sound of Forty's voice. That man would just not shut up after winning a thousand caps. "Wham! Right off his feet with a fuckin' elbow! Who does that?"

Mister Jones, Clover, Crimson, and Forty were making their way around the cage towards the clinic. The throng of people had yet to dissipate after the Ranger's come-from-behind victory. With their blood up, it didn't take long before the opposing camps were wagering about whose men were tougher. Soon enough, pairs were squaring off in the cage to the roars of their fellow raiders, slavers, and general scumbags. The sole exception were Lord McKenna's people; they had gathered up his body and immediately headed back to wherever they had come from.

"You think she'll live, Boss?" Forty asked as he held open the door to the clinic for Mister Jones and grimaced as Clover went in first. Crimson brought up the rear and closed the door behind her.

"That's why we're going to see Cutter, Forty." Mister Jones replied, far too patiently for Crimson's liking but she knew better than to utter even a syllable to that effect.

They found Cutter behind the privacy curtain that closed off a corner of the room. A brilliant white light shone from behind it that cast deep shadows throughout the otherwise dimly-lit room. Cutter's silhouette was hunched over as she mumbled in a distracted manner to herself. Without announcing himself or his attention, Mister Jones tossed aside the privacy curtain and studied the scene. Cutter had removed the Ranger's pants and bloody chestwrap to leave the woman completely naked except for the thick chains at the waist, wrists, and ankles that bound her to the cot. A bowl of bloody water sat on a tray next to the cot and, without looking, Cutter dipped and wrung out a sponge into it.

"Can I help you, Mister Jones?" Cutter asked as she met the dark-skinned man's eyes.

"I told you to fix her, not give her a bath, Cutter." Mister Jones said but Crimson could tell from his tone that he was amused by the situation, which was probably a side effect of his pleasure at winning so many caps.

"I have to wash all the blood away before I can tell how injured she might be." Cutter explained and began dabbing at the unconscious, bound Ranger's chin with a frown. "I could have sworn she got a gash here but this looks like its been healing for at least a week."

"She's a muto, Cutter. They're unpredictable." Mister Jones stepped closer and ran a hand along the Ranger's head in a familiar fashion that made Crimson's skin crawl.

_Don't think about it._ She steeled herself.

"What's the prognosis?"

"Very good, actually," Cutter sounded surprise at the admission and Crimson, after watching the same beating Rachel had taken, could understand it. "No broken bones, no internal bleeding that I can detect. With proper rest, she probably won't have anything to show for it except a couple of bruises."

"Good. Forty, wait here until Cutter's done, I'll send some of the men to help you chain her up. We'll let her soak up the sun for the rest of the day. That should help, if what you believe is true, right?" Cutter nodded her head in agreement and Mister Jones smiled. "We're going to make a lot of money."

* * *

"I don't care how much money you offer, I won't allow it!" Mister Jones snapped at the assembled clients for the third time.

Mister Jones and Forty were alone as they sat behind the bar. Cutter was busy administering first aid to the cage combatants while Pronto was trading his ass off as the horde of people looking to get caps to bet seemed inexhaustible. The Paradise Dome, as some had started calling it, had become a raging success literally overnight. The main attraction had yet to be decided and, from the look on Mister Jones', face it wasn't going to be.

"Why not, Jones? You said we could put anyone we could hire into the fucking cage!" Ventallini shouted, face puffy and purple from a night of arguing and drinking.

"Because they're _my_ men and some of my biggest earners!"

The objects of the argument sat and stood at one corner of the bar. Ymir, heavyset, black-bearded and with a perpetual twinkle in his dark brown eyes, lifted his large mug of shitty beer to his face. His son, Jotun, was slightly bigger, had dark blue eyes, and was thought to be a bit thick in the head. Both of the big men wore full suits of metal armor. Ymir had his combat shotgun leaning against his barstool and his gunbelt was balanced by a pair of 10mm pistols. Jotun, on the other hand, had an axe with the longest, curved head Crimson had ever seen on one side and a cruel-looking spike on the opposite side. A wide-bladed knife, almost a shortsword really, was slung across his back while a slender dagger rested on his hip. The duo made for an odd pair, especially considering no one thought for a second they were blood relatives but it was known that they had no loyalty that was stronger than their bond.

"So, you think that she'll beat 'em?" The representative of the raiders was actually named Mohawk of all the dumbest names imaginable. "Someone tell that oddsmaker from Rivet!" The woman now seemed primarily concerned with increasing her personal fortune above all else.

"I don't know who will win and I don't care because this fight isn't happening!"

"Oh, wanna tell me again why it's not, Eulogy?" Ymir turned, beer spilling down his thick beard, his lips turned up in a grin. His bald head was tanned the same leathery brown color as the hand he ran along it. "Last I heard, I was a free man, not meat. I go where I please and do as I wish. You can not stop me and, after the display your Ranger put on yesterday, I don't think the camps would be pleased if you turned down a solid offer. You really want to risk that?"

Mister Jones was silent for several seconds and Crimson knew that he truly was backed into a corner before he said, "They'll fight at sundown. Don't look so smug, Ymir. Before the day is over, that smirk could be off your face for good."

Ymir just nodded slightly and raised his mug to Mister Jones.

"Where the fuck's the oddsmaker!?" Mohawk bellowed as she stood and left with her pair of guards.

With the meeting officially over, the drinking area began to fill up with bodies again. Mister Jones and Forty stayed behind the bar and actually served drinks. Mister Jones claimed it helped his nerves but Crimson knew it was just a chance for him to intimidate and spy on people. Crimson and Clover maintained their posts in stoic silence; their senses alert for constant danger. Most people avoided sitting at the bar, not wanting to be close to either Mister Jones or Ymir, who was known to have a sick sense of humor when drunk. One person came close but that was to speak to Jotun.

Carolina Red had definitely seen better days. The malicious grin was gone from her face as she painfully limped her way, with the aid of a cane, to Jotun's side. One arm was still in a sling, despite stimpak treatment, thanks to the damage the Ranger had done to her shoulder while tossing Red around like a baby. One eyelid drooped far lower than the other because of the heavy scar tissue from a gruesome cut. The left side of her face was only slightly more swollen than the right, which looked as though someone had shoved a tiny ball inside it. Most of her bruising and swelling had gone down so she no longer resembled something out of a nightmare.

_Maybe she doesn't grin because Rachel knocked out one of her front teeth? I guess even psychos have their vanity. _Crimson spared a glance at Clover and scoffed mentally. _No, I _know_ even psychos can be vain._

"Hey, Jotun." Red leaned against the wall with a sigh of relief. "I heard you were gonna fight that Ranger bitch."

"Yes, father wants to." Jotun answered in his slow, thick way.

"Don't." Red said and Crimson could barely believe it but she sounded worried. "Look what she did to me. I know you can fight, you and your daddy both, but that cunt's a muto. And she's been _trained_. My daddy used to tell stories his daddy told him and his daddy told him. About how they used to train soldiers in the old days. That's how she fights! I heard people talk about Brotherhood O' Steel fighters out of their armor and they fight like that."

"I have to, Red. It's my duty."

Crimson, closest to the conversation besides Jotun, could feel Red's glare as she leaned in to whisper to Jotun. The man, his face not nearly as tanned as his father's, noticeably blushed and looked at Red in shock.

"Father says that doing that before a fight is bad and you're hurt, Red." Jotun replied with childlike innocence and received a stifled shriek of exasperation.

"Just live, damnit!" Red screeched before limping her way back to the barracks.

"Shit, Ymir, what's wrong with your kid?" Forty grumbled. "I can't fucking stand that cunt and _I'd_ fuck her even if she were eighty, blind and dumb as a rock."

"Some of us have standards, Forty." Ymir laughed and shook his head.

"I don't even know what that means, man."

* * *

Crimson could tell that Mister Jones was nervous. There were no dramatic displays as he stood to announce the main event of the evening. The golden light of the setting sun highlighted an image of a man who was in command of all he surveyed but Crimson knew. There was a slight stammer in his voice, the barest hint of shaking hands, and he was always reaching out to idly run a hand along Clover's thigh beneath her dress. He only did it that gently when he needed reassurance.

"Paradise Falls!" Mister Jones suddenly roared and the crowd, nearly twice the size of the previous fight two days ago, quickly silenced itself. "Are you ready?!" Mister Jones seemed to bask in the roar of consent that crashed against their viewing platform before waving it back down. "Last time, our guest Ranger snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against foreign fighters but this time, _this fucking time_, she's going up against two of _our own_! I give you, _Ymir_ StoneHeart and _Jotun_ the Breaker!" Mister Jones threw out a hand towards the side of the cage where Ymir and Jotun were swinging their arms in an effort to warm up.

Both fighters had foregone shirts and shoes; opting to garb themselves in loose-fitting shorts, of all things. Ymir was obviously older and slightly softer around the edges than his protege. Jotun seemed comprised entirely of hard muscle, bone and sinew. Twisting bands of jagged tattoos covered the arms and back of both slavers. Neither of them acknowledged the crowd as they continued to shadow-box to warm up.

"And their opponent, Rachel the Ranger!" Once again the boo's washed over the handcuffed Ranger to little effect. "Let us be entertained!"

Mister Jones thumbed the remote that released the maglocks on the Ranger's handcuffs. This time, Rachel slowly rose to her feet and ponderously rolled her shoulders back. Even from a distance, Crimson could see the muscles rippling beneath her alabaster skin. If anything, all the time in the sun seemed to have made her skin even more pristine.

"Is it just me or is that cunt even bigger than she was last time?" Mohawk asked, mug of cheap beer sloshing as she leaned over the rail.

"She does look bigger and fucking _pissed_." Forty commented, already rubbing his hands together greedily. As stupid as the man was, he seemed to have a knack for picking the winners of these fights and had made himself a small fortune almost overnight. "Sorry, Boss, but I don't know if those two'll make it through this."

Mister Jones fixed Forty with a look that could have peeled the hide off a yaio guai and the idiot took the hint for once in his miserable life. Crimson's eyes were locked on the ensuing death match despite her job guarding Mister Jones; she just couldn't help herself. Something about the three people locked in a small steel enclosure with the knowledge that at least one of them was going to die... it just demanded her full attention.

"Y-mir! Y-mir!" One half of the crowd chanted.

"Jo-tun! Jo-tun!" Came the response from the other side.

The pair of big men began to slowly walk towards the Ranger, biceps bulging as their arms swung casually at their sides. Now the chants began to increase in speed and intensity but they kept up their deliberate walk as they spread apart to flank their foe. The Ranger cocked her head to the side, stretched out her left hand in front of her, cocked her fist back at her hip, and set her feet in a wide stance. Ymir and Jotun closed within five feet of her, one in front and the other behind, before they began to slowly circle. Crimson couldn't be entirely sure but she thought the woman had even closed her eyes as she was stalked like a molerat.

Then Jotun was moving with shocking speed to grab or punch the Ranger but his feet suddenly left the ground before his second step. She had intercepted his charge with one of her own that ended with the knuckles of her cocked fist rising in an uppercut. Before Jotun's body hit the ground, Ymir was coming up behind the Ranger. He struck, a powerful straight to the back of her head, but she ducked under it at the very last second. The Ranger rose with an uppercut to the gut that lifted the big man several inches off his feet. The pain, and there was much on Ymir's face, didn't stop him from placing both hands behind the Ranger's neck He tried to bring her face down to meet his knee thrust but the Ranger was either stronger, faster, or just more experienced at this type of fighting. She placed both hands beneath Ymir's armpits and suddenly Ymir's entire body was over the Ranger's head. His toes were only a few inches below the top of the cage moments before he went crashing to the ground.

The Ranger sprang to her feet far faster than Ymir and rewarded him for his efforts with a boot to the ribs. This was no ordinary kick though. The power in that seemingly casual kick was enough to send the big man rolling across the ground to slam into the cage hard enough for it to bow outward slightly.

"Father!" Jotun shouted as the elder man tried to rise only to cough up a thick wad of blood.

Jotun roar was brahmin-like as he charged at the Ranger with his hands outstretched to grab the thinner fighter and crush her in his grip.

"No fuckin' way!" Forty shouted and Crimson turned to see that everyone on their platform, with the exception of Clover, was watching with jaws dropped.

Rachel had clasped hands with Jotun in a cliched test of strength and she was _winning_. Jotun's berserker eyes were narrowed with strain as his muscles bulged beneath his skin and his hands shook with the amount of force he was exerting. The Ranger, on the other hand, was looking through him with those dead eyes as her own muscles danced beneath her pale skin. Then Jotun began to scream as he suddenly dropped to his knees. With careless ease, Rachel grabbed the back of Jotun's head with both hands and drove a knee deep into his cranium with a sickening crack that was audible even over the noise of the crowd.

"No!" A voice, shrill and horrified, cut through the roars of the crowd.

Jotun flopped backwards and struggled to crawl away to regroup. The Ranger, all emotion long gone from her face, followed after him. She reached down and pulled the slaver to his feet by the neck. It was only now that Crimson realized Jotun was only a couple of inches taller than Rachel. The crowd's fenzy grew as, behind the Ranger's back, Ymir was back on his feet and coming forward with murder in his eyes. With contemptuous ease, the Ranger spun Jotun by the neck and threw him at his father. Their bodies collided with limb-snapping force and they dropped in a heap of musclebound flesh. Ymir tried to sit up within seconds but was met with a front kick to the face for his trouble.

The Ranger stood over the wrecked bodies of her opponents, who hadn't landed a single strike, before raising a fist high above her to finish the job.

"Take her!" Mister Jones suddenly shouted and began waving his arms.

"What the fuck?!" Forty shouted as the Ranger dropped to the ground without warning.

"Relax, people!" Mister Jones shouted down the outraged cries of the crowd. "Rachel the Ranger is declared the winner!"

This time ten people joined Forty in jubilant celebration.

* * *

Mister Jones managed to retain his composure long enough to call the remaining matches and oversee the Ranger's securing in her cage before rushing to the clinic to check on his two high-earners. Once they were within the concealing walls of the clinic, Mister Jones cursed loud and long. Thankfully, Forty was nowhere in sight or he might have finally made the inane comment that would cause Mister Jones to order Clover to slice his head off.

The scene inside the clinic was quiet, after Mister Jones finally calmed down, besides the rhythmic pumping of a machine. Cutter had foregone the curtain in her haste to treat both men. Crimson grimaced at the sight of Jotun. The lower half of his face was completely covered in bandages that were rusty red and damp. A tube ran into a hole in the bandages where she assumed it was feeding him oxygen. Cutter finished securing his neck in a red brace before gentling settling his head back and strapping it to the cot. Both of the man's hands were elevated in stirrups for proper examination. The left hand seemed fine except for being swelled up to twice its normal size; inexplicably, the right had several fingers bent at impossible angles but was barely swollen at all.

"Are they going to make it, Cutter?" Mister Jones asked, sitting in a spare chair and pulling Clover close so he could run his hand along her thigh.

"Ymir, I'm almost certain will. He doesn't have any internal bleeding that I can tell. His jaw might be fractured but he came away surprisingly whole." Cutter sighed and looked up from her examination of Jotun's left hand. "I think Jotun will make it but that knee to the head looked nasty. He has the worst broken nose I've ever seen; wouldn't doubt it he had trouble breathing the rest of his life. I don't think his skull is fractured but it's hard to tell without those scanning machines from before the War. His hands are broken bad though. How much function he has left in them won't be known for months. They should both make it with the proper care but they'll be out of commission, especially Jotun, for at least two months."

Mister Jones sighed in relief and chuckled bitterly. "I hope this is the last time Ymir doesn't listen to me. I told him he might not be able to smirk after tonight."

"Hel... get rid of her." The voice was slow and so quiet it was easy to miss but Clover had sharp ears.

"Daddy, I think Ymir is talking."

Mister Jones stood and stepped to the side of the cot bearing Ymir. He had thick bindings around his chest but was otherwise unencumbered. The huge bruise that covered his right jaw, neck, and cheek was ugly enough though. His mouth barely moved as he whispered the words again.

"Eulogy. You can't kill her. She won't die. What is dead can never die. She's Hel."

"She does seem demonic, Ymir, but I don't think she's from Hell." Mister Jones told the heavily medicated slaver.

"Not Hell. _Hel_. She who rules the underworld. The goddess of death. She will bring us to ruin. Get rid... of her..." Ymir managed before succumbing to unconsciousness.

"Hel, huh? Goddess of Death?" Mister Jones smiled as he rubbed his chin. "I like the sound of that."

* * *

"Hel! Hel! Hel!" The chant seemed to shake the very ground as the object of the crowd's awe stood in the center of the cage with her head held back to let the rays of the noonday sun caress her body.

"You ever find it funny how all these fuckers are chanting that Ranger bitch's name when a few weeks ago they were all wanting her dead?!" Carolina Red shouted from her seat beside Mister Jones.

It had been almost two months since the Ranger that everyone was calling 'Hel' now had been captured. Crimson had just watched her dispatch a group of five hard-nosed raider's without getting so much as a scuffed cheek. That was her third match of the day and, from all evidence, Hel was far from exhausted.

"So, Mister Keaton, what did you think?" Mister Jones turned to look at the visitor that Red had brought from her trip out west.

"Very interesting, Mister Jones. Very interesting indeed."

Keaton was a shorter man but had shoulders as wide as Ymir's and a full beard that almost completely hid his mouth. Close-cropped brown hair was covered by a short-brimmed hat that could not possibly offer much protection from the sun. To top it off, he was dressed in a pre-War gray suit and black wingtips. She doubted he had worn the outfit all the way from wherever Red had picked him up at.

Keaton leaned over the rail. "Go tell Tiger that he's on." He ordered one of the men he had brought with him.

The runner, dressed in pre-War gray-green fatigues, nodded and dashed off to fetch the man called Tiger. Forty was off somewhere, probably among the frenzied crowd, trying to make sidebets to further the fortune he had made off of Hel before it became a fact that she was unbeatable by a normal man; thus the time passed in amicable silence as those sitting on the viewing platform sipped their drinks and waited. Before long, the runner was back and nodding at his employer.

"You can make the introductions now, Mister Jones."

The bodies of Hel's latest victims had been cleared from the Paradise Dome and yet the gladiator stood in that same statuesque pose.

"Attention, Paradise Falls! I have a very special match next! A special guest fighter from the west. An experienced gladiator the likes of which we have not seen before! I give to you, _Tiger_ the _Glorious_."

Mister Jones gestured towards the path that led to the entrance to Megaton and an aisle was hastily created. A figure was soon walking down it with a confidence that almost shimmered in the air around him. He was probably an inch or two shorter than Hel but had the same broad shoulders as Mr. Keaton. Leather straps crossed his chest, latching to a broad gold circle in the front and a leather pad in the small of his back. Loose-fit gray trousers flowed as Tiger glided forward on bare feet. This Tiger was nearly as pale as Hel but his red hair and blue-green eyes seemed to fit his complexion.

"And his opponent needs no introduction so, once again, _prepare_... for... _Heeeeeeellllllllllll!_"

"Hel! Hel! Hel!"

The crowd took up the chant again as Tiger entered the cage and the door was secured. Once that door locked, there was no hesitation in Tiger's actions as he broke into a furious sprint at Hel. As was expected, the woman exploded into motion at seemingly the last moment. A straight hand darted out towards Tiger's nose but the man shifted his head just far enough so that the punch barely grazed him. Then several overhand jabs pistoned into Hel's left cheek. The blows pushed her back and then Tiger's right leg was rising to catch Hel across the jaw with the shin. A sick crack echoed in the suddenly silent cage. Hel had taken virtually no damage since her first fight and this foreigner seemed able to touch her at will.

_What kind of training does _he_ have_? Crimson wondered as Tiger hunched down, cinched his hands around Hel's thighs, and lifted her above his head.

The entire crowd let loose a combined 'ooh' as Hel was brutally driven to the ground but they all knew that Hel was not entirely out of the fight. Their faith was rewarded quickly as Hel's legs came up to wrap around the man's neck. They had never seen the particular maneuver but Tiger seemed to recognize it and immediately struggled to free himself. For his efforts, Hel quickly rolled them over so that she was on top. Her fist rose and darted down faster than the eye could follow. Crimson thought she hit the man five times in the space of two seconds and, with expected swiftness, he went dreadfully still. Hel released her leglock around his neck and mounted the unconscious man. She struck him so hard in the cheek that his skin instantly parted to let loose a torrent of blood.

"Tranq her!" Mister Jones shouted and the results were instant as Forty's sharpshooters fired.

Hel fell with enough tranquilizers in her to put a brahmin into a coma and an unknown woman rushed into the ring to administer first aid to the fallen Tiger. Keaton chuckled and slowly clapped his hands together.

"She'll do well in Charleston, Mister Jones." Keaton fixed shrewd brown eyes on Mister Jones. "I'll give you fifteen thousand for her. Take it or leave it."

Crimson almost spluttered at the amount. It was outrageous in every sense of the word but she could see Mister Jones internal dilemma. Hel was his biggest attraction and every two-bit scumbag was betting on the fights now. On the other hand, the odds were so long against Hel that no one was really betting on her matches. There were also rumors that the Rangers were mobilizing and _still_ searching for their captured member. It was becoming increasingly risky to have Hel fighting in the Falls.

"I'll take it."


	30. XXX

The cold, clean air of the morning was both a blessing and a curse to Lobo. As he stood at the back entrance to The Refinery, as the gladiator training grounds/barracks was called, the former Grand Champion of the Circle of Flesh took a cleansing breath. Breathing cooler air helped him regulate his body temperature according to the doctors that the mayor of Nitro employed. Unfortunately, the source of his stature and strength also left him susceptible to arthritis. Cold mornings such as this one always reminded him of the fact with swollen knees, hands, feet, and wrists. The force of will that had carried him to Grand Champion was the only thing that kept him rising so early still.

Lobo gazed out at the rolling hills that rose behind The Refinery. Supposedly, this had been what was called a 'high school' Pre-War. It had never seemed particularly high to Lobo as it was situated in an area where the land slanted to meet the river with a hill rising behind it. Whatever the case, it had proven an ideal place for the first post-War mayor to set up his gladiator school when the governor had first begun the competitions of Steel and Flesh. There was plenty of room inside for the thirty-odd gladiators it housed and the outside boasted a wide open space for various training exercises and environments. The second mayor of Nitro had even built his own Circles in the park down the street. It was in that place that Lobo had first learned his worth.

_Bah. No time for useless memories._ Nitro's Master of Flesh thought as he slowly walked to the warm-up area.

Lobo picked up a jump-rope from the ordered stand that held the pulleys and jump-ropes. Stopping a few short feet away, the heavily muscled fighter began slowly jumping rope. A man that was six and a half feet tall, two hundred and thirty pounds, and with two bad knees should not have been jumping rope at all. When the mayor brought her political colleagues, and sometimes rivals in the Circles, to see the men training, they almost always were amazed that Lobo had rope jumping as part of his training. Some were downright scornful of the practice but it could be less traumatic on the joints than hard running if done within a reasonable amount of time. Once he had built up a light sweat, Lobo stopped his warm-up and began a vigorous stretching routine. These days even his usual stretches were enough to keep a nice sweat going.

_I guess old Panzer was right. Getting old is a real pain in the ass._

The sky had gone from a hazy purple to a burnished gold by the time Lobo was done. He went to the rack of coarse towels and wiped the sweat from his face. A sniff of his linen shirt was enough to tell him that he would have to change it after today's training but it would do until then. With his various aches eliminated, or reduced to tolerable levels, Lobo went about tiding the training yards. Sweeping debris from the sparring circles, doing checks to make sure none of the weights had been misplaced, and even checking that none of the practice blades were _too_ sharp. The Mistress of Steel, as the trainer of the gladiators that fought in the Circle of Steel was called, never woke much earlier than noon; even though she required her trainees to start their daily exercises without her. The only exceptions Mei ever made was when she had a new prospect that didn't know the routine. She was particularly cross until she could go back to sleeping the morning away.

On cue, Lobo's men began to file into the yard with their usual rowdiness. The Master of Flesh had heard that other trainers expected quiet professionalism from their pupils. Lobo had never agreed even if he himself wasn't prone to exuberance. Slaves as they all were, the men should be given the opportunity to vent as much as they could. Of course, big men whose sole purpose in life was to fight, win, and possibly die for their owner were generally rather violent in their venting.

"Watch it, boy!" Jervis, a veteran who had seen two grand champions crowned while never making it anywhere close to champion, shouldered one of the younger prospects out of the way. The boy, Tony, was nearly as tall as Jervis even though he was barely 13, though nowhere near as brawny, meekly moved out of the way. "Ya really are quite the pussy, aren't ya?" Jervis' tanned face crinkled with laughter as he slapped the back of his hand against the chiseled, bare torso of Ike.

Ike's glacial blue eyes narrowed at the offending hand but shook his head at Jervis' antics. Several of the other men joined Jervis' in wild laughter at the expense of the submissive prospect has he made his way to where his two friends stood. The three boys were almost always together in training. Mei had told him he was too soft on them in allowing them the illusion of comfort but it was Lobo's hope that it would strengthen them in the years to come. They still had several years before even the oldest was ready to face his death in a Circle.

"Alright, men, stop fucking around and warm-up. Any man not sweating in five minutes will have ten laps around The Refinery. Get to it!"

Lobo looked up to the roof of The Refinery as the men began to spread out to skip rope, wind-sprint, or whatever else they chose to get their muscles loose. The outline of several men with hi-powered rifles was easily seen. A full dozen guards patrolled the grounds of The Refinery at all times in case any of them tried to escape. Lobo snorted in contempt at the thought. Even if they managed to escape Nitro, the nearest free zone was over twenty miles away and full of golden-skinned savages who would skin them alive as soon as look at them. No, Lobo knew the real reason the guards were there was to prevent any "midnight acquisitions" from rival mayors. The snatched would never fight in a Circle again but probably be placed in one of the scavenging squads the mayors kept that were routinely wiped out by golden savages.

_Jesus, I'm certainly morbid today. Oh no, what does this little shit want?_

The little shit in question was walking around the left side of the outcropping that was the gymnasium where they all trained indoors when the daytime weather became too cold and he was accompanied by half a dozen burly guards in leather armor. Two of them had come up with Lobo during _his_ days as a prospect and, through loyal service, had been given positions in the guard. They were indentured servants little better than slaves but at least they had marginal freedom.

_As do I._

It was the mayor's son, Loren, and he was wearing a full-length coat of brown bear pelt that was ridiculously expensive to protect him from the quickly warming day. As he came closer, Lobo could see that his green eyes were red-rimmed and his normally pale face splotchy. No doubt from another night of carousing in Charleston.

"Titan," Loren greeted him with a yawn as he stopped within two feet of the much larger man. It was Loren's way of subtle intimidation, standing so close to a man that could kill him with next to no effort, and using his Circle-name in a way that was vaguely insulting. "My mother says that one of her suppliers is coming today with new merchandise. She sent me, for some reason, to see if it was worth it. Are they here yet?"

"Soon." Lobo rumbled, trying to keep his distaste out of his voice," Keaton usually likes to arrive early so he has plenty of day left to visit other clients."

"Yes, yes, so mother said." Loren waved the comment off and blearily looked around. "Send someone when he arrives. I'm going to go sit at Mulligan's and try to cure this hangover."

_Probably with more booze, you little shit._ Lobo thought as he walked off and that put him in a miserable mood that lasted until Mei awoke some hours later.

Lobo was, for what seemed the hundredth time, attempting to get Tony to actually attack instead of circling and throwing out the occasional jab to keep his opponent at bay when Mei emerged from the entrance. All eyes turned to her, even her own trainees, as she stretched her arms above her head so far that her shirt rode up to nearly reveal the undersides of her breasts.

"Eyes on tasks, fucks!" Lobo barked and stomped over to the golden-skinned woman.

Mei flicked her shoulder-length black hair, tied in its customary ponytail, over her shoulder as she watched him approach with a smirk. Even with her arms down, the cut-off shirt did not cover her navel, and she didn't have a bit of shame about it. She had been a champion and nearly a grand champion but refused to even pretend to the slightest bit of modesty. Despite that, and a lankiness that Lobo had never found particularly sexy in women, the former grand champion could not deny he was attracted to her.

Brown eyes glanced at his arms as he came to a stop in front of her. "You look like yer gonna tear me apart, Lobo! Ya wanna wrassle?" That was said with a frankly wickedly gleam in those slanted eyes.

If not for his vow of celibacy after the last woman had died trying to bear him a son, Lobo knew he would have been fucking her senseless at the very moment, so he simply grunted. "The mayor's son came by. Apparently, the mayor doesn't trust me to judge this one's worth without him. I probably won't even give an opinion if that's how it's gonna be."

"Aw, you're so cute when you pout, Lobo." Quickly checking to make sure no one was looking, Mei reached up to pinch his cheek. She was the only one that dared touch him like that, his reputation as a fighter was still legend, and it felt surprisingly good.

_God, she's going to get me to break my vow one of these days and the baby will end up killing her._ The thought, as always, was fully visible on his face as Mei quickly sighed.

"Well, here comes Keaton now. Call fer someone to fetch his grace so we ken get a productive day goin'." Mei winced as she took her first step but quickly covered that up as best she could.

For a moment, Lobo had a flash of her in the Circle of Steel, backsword and buckler in hand. She had moved with an otherwordly grace and speed that had only been matched by one man. Shen Dragonsoul had nearly crippled Mei for life with a slash to the knee that had come close to severing the limb. Even worse, he had denied her the grand championship that was only awarded every four years. Now Mei had a heavy limp and a small statue in the Hall of Champions in Charleston as a reminder of her days of glory.

"Yo! Send someone to tell Loren that Keaton is here!" Lobo shouted to one of the guards on the roof.

That guard in turn shouted to another to send a runner as Lobo stalked over to where Mei looked like she was two seconds away from charming the pants off Keaton. The "acquisition specialist", as he liked to be called, was impressively muscled for a flesh peddler and his tight shirt did little to hide the fact. He was so trusted in Nitro that he and his guards openly worse their weapons. That was when Lobo noticed something peculiar. Normally, the merchandise was standing in wrist restraints, occasionally ankle irons as well. This time, Keaton had rolled a cage just large enough for a large man to stand up in into an area that was kept clear of equipment just for Keaton and his ilk. How they had made it from whatever hellhole Keaton got his merchandise, Lobo attributed to extreme luck. The oddest thing of all was that the sides of the cage were solid wood planks covered by several layers of canvas sheets. From what he could tell, cage door was solid metal bars but that was also covered by thick canvas.

"What tha Hell have ya brought this time, Keaton?" Mei asked, pushing the cover slightly aside to try to peer inside. "It's not one of the ones that burn in the sun, is it?"

Keaton chuckled, "Not exactly, Mei. Trust me, you don't want this one getting _too_ much sun. Right, Tiger?"

One of Keaton's men grunted and Lobo could only double take at the horribly crooked nose that now graced the man's face. Tiger was an Iron Man like him, graced with heavy muscle and bone, and tough as, well, iron. It took a lot to break their bones, even the little ones, and Tiger had been a champion a few years after Lobo himself. Even in his failed bid to face Lobo for grand champion, Tiger hadn't broken any bones.

"So, Lobo, are you really going to fight this year? Everyone's clamoring to see the Titan of Nitro one more time!" Keaton asked excitedly, rubbing his hands together as Mei rolled her eyes.

Lobo shook his head. "I've been retired for two grand champions now, Keaton. I ain't going to fight my way to champion and then grand champion. Not with these joints. I don't know where these rumors come from."

"Ah, well, that's probably good anyway. I heard there's this Healer called Teng that's almost as fast The Dragonsoul. That's a bad combo in the Circle of Flesh." Keaton's eyes softened as he caught Mei's reflexive wince. "Shit, sorry, Mei! Me and my big, fat mouth. How's about I buy you a drink at Mulligan's after today's training?"

"Yer gonna be in town that long?" Mei asked, her eyes going round with excitement.

_If I were a jealous man, I would punch Keaton's leer through his skull. No, I won't accept Mei so what right do I have to deny her whatever happiness she can find._

"Yeah. It's been a long trip. We almost got killed by a bunch of Marylanders on the way up. I'm telling you, there's something going on over there. It's like someone kicked a nest of ants. The men are tired. I'm going to keep the merchandise in that holding area in town and just take a couple days off."

"In that case, I'd love a drink." Now Lobo knew Mei was in serious flirtation mode because the accent she had never lost from her days as a savage child lightened up to the point of nonexistence.

"Mister Keaton!" Loren called merrily as he swayed up to the assembly.

Lobo did not miss the roll of Keaton's eyes before he turned to greet the scion. "Master Loren! How does the day find you, sir?"

The formal tones that the elite of Charleston society affected always made Lobo want to throw up and to hear Keaton attempt it was even more sickening.

"Well, sir, well. A few pints of ale from Mulligan's set me right as rain after a hard night of carousing. And you?"

"If our business dealings go smoothly and profitably, then it will be a most glorious day."

_Please get to it so I can get back to my men, you strutting shits._

"Ah, yes, our business." Loren's face fell as he removed his overcoat as though he was actually going to do any work. Beneath it he wore an even more expensive shirt made out of spidersilk if Lobo's guess was correct. "Only one this time, Keaton?"

"Yes, but she was worth the trip, sir." Keaton gestured and two of his men pulled off the canvas sheets that prevented light from seeping into the cage.

_Holy shit! The entire cage is banded with iron!_

"She? A prospect for Steel, hmm?" Mei asked, stepping closer to peer into the now dimly lit interior of the cage.

Keaton smiled mischievously, "No, of Flesh."

Lobo, Mei, and Loren all turned to him with expressions of shock. There had never been a woman gladiator in the Circle of Flesh since it was first started. The men, even the lithe Zephyrs, were just too big, strong, and fast for any woman. There was no gender separation but sheer skill could overcome many of the physical advantages men had over women in the Circle of Steel.

"Is that a jest, Keaton?" The drop of 'sir' or 'mister' was an indication of Loren's irritation.

"Think of it, sir! If Nitro had the first ever _female_ champion of Flesh, you would go down in history!"

"Or as laughingstocks when she loses her first match in seconds." Lobo grumbled as he moved closer with Mei to try to peer into the box.

He could barely make out a shape huddled in the corner and the smell of stale urine wafted from the interior.

"Keaton, have you not been bathing this one?" Lobo asked with a look of disgust.

"If you saw what she did to Tiger, you wouldn't take the chance on the open road, friend." Keaton answered with a grin.

"Bring her into the light so that we can examine her, if you would, Mister Keaton."

Keaton sighed, "I knew you'd say that, sir. Tiger, do it."

Tiger grunted to one of the men and placed a heavy glove on his right hand. The guard unlocked a chain that was wrapped around one of the bars and, at Tiger's nod, slowly opened the cage door while holding a tranq-pistol on the huddled shape. Tiger brandished a shock-baton in one hand while gripping the unlocked chain in one hand. It brought back memories of how Lobo had been transported before ending up in Nitro.

"Come on out and see your new home." Keaton coaxed in a low voice. "Low voices work best with her. Too loud and she lashes out wildly."

"Is she simple?" Loren asked with a look of disgust.

"With the way she fights and the things she does? I doubt it, sir. I don't know if she can speak though. Apparently, the people I got her from did a number on her from what I gathered. She might be shell-shocked."

Slowly, a figure shuffled from the interior of the cell on the palest pair of legs Lobo had ever seen. She was taller than Mei and Lobo had met few women that tall. The woman also seemed disturbingly thin and malnourished. The band she wore around her breasts seemed as though it had little work to do and those hips could never hope to pass a child. Hair, matted and dark as night, rested atop her head but it was too short to actually verify that it was a woman's.

_Not that that matters, Dragonsoul _still_ keeps his hair as long as a woman's despite only marginally being a free man._

Eyes nearly the same color as her hair widened as the first open sunlight hit her. Without minding the collar around her neck, the chain connected to it, or the man waiting to shock her, the woman stepped fully into the light and fell backwards to sprawl on the ground. Her shorts, stained and foul, barely covered her woman parts and her position offered a clear view. Lobo averted his eyes and glared at Keaton.

"This _is_ a joke." He answered flatly.

Keaton laughed, "I assure you, it is not. She does that when she gets a taste of the sun after days of not getting any."

"How much did you want for her, sir?" Loren asked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he walked a slow circle around the woman.

"I think a fair deal, for the amount of money and prestige you will undoubtedly make, would be thirty-five thousand."

"Sir," Lobo tried not to grind his teeth as he addressed Loren. "This is ridiculous. I'm starting to think that Keaton has taken one too many blows to the head during his bar brawls. That skinny thing couldn't beat a prospect, let alone a seasoned gladiator! And to ask for that much? Insanity!"

"I dunno, Lobo. Looks ken be deceivin'." Mei spoke up and puffed out her immodestly propped cleavage.

"Our lovely Mistress of Steel is correct, dear Lobo." Loren grinned at the larger man. "But Lobo is also correct, Mister Keaton. That is an outrageous amount."

"I tell you what, sir, I'll lower the price by five thousand _and_ let you test her. Let's say _two_ prospects and old Jervis. If she loses, I'll lower it by ten thousand. Does that sound fair to you, sir?"

"That sounds more than fair, sir." Keaton gestured negligently to Lobo. "Select your men."

"Jervis, Toby, Lector!" Lobo bellowed instantly.

Toby was going to fight this year and was already an accepted member of the Brotherhood of Flesh but Keaton did not need to know that. He had reached his full growth at over six feet of honed muscle barely contained by olive-toned flesh. Talented but unimaginative, the Iron Man had the potential to be champion but Lobo knew he would never be a grand champion. Lector was a Zephyr, possessed of speed and dexterity that a normal human could never match without chemical assistance, and was also six feet of muscle. He was not as brawny as Toby or Jervis but his strength was nothing to be scoffed at. Unfortunately, he was neither talented nor imaginative but probably the second most skilled of the six prospects that had survived training up to this point. Jervis clapped his comrades on the shoulders as they came forward and flexed his brawny chest as though there were any women around to enjoy it. Of course, Tiger's eyes fixed on the chest, as the man was not choosy about the gender of his bed partners from what Lobo had heard.

"It would be best if your men didn't hold back at all. She'll take a beating if she knows it's just a beating but if she thinks she's in a fight for her life... well, you'll see." Keaton chuckled as he quickly undid the chain attached to the collar and stepped back. "And explain it to her. She's probably been listening to everything we say and she'll know these are your people. I can't give her the order. Tiger, get those tranqs ready. She's hard to stop when she really gets going, you see." Keaton explained at their looks and it said much about how nervous he was that he didn't once address Loren as "sir".

_Just what the Hell is this woman?_

"Does she have a name?" Loren asked as he stepped closer.

"They call her Hel. Apparently, that's some kind of goddess of the underworld."

"Hel? I like that." Loren crouched next to the woman, whose eyes were still closed, and spoke in a low voice. "Listen, Hel, these three men are going to do their best to beat you to death. Dozens of men have died in this place from the training they go through on a daily basis. This _will_ happen to you if you don't defend yourself. Whenever you're ready, Lobo, let them-"

Loren let loose a shriek as the woman's eyes shot open and she was towering him as he sprawled backwards on the ground. An aura of deadly intent suddenly radiated from Hel's black eyes as she studied everyone around her. It was now that Lobo suddenly understood where some of Keaton's certainty had come from. She certainly held herself like a fighter as Jervis, Toby, and Lector circled her. Each of the men were about as clothed as she was since they were all bare-chested with only loose shorts to cover their modesty. It was a barbaric scene that often caused Lobo to wonder what separated Charleston from the savages in the wild.

"Fight!" Lobo barked and Jervis was the first to charge with a wild shriek meant to intimidate.

Lobo's jaw dropped when Hel stepped into the charge with a left hook to the body that was followed by a right uppercut that lifted Jervis completely off his feet. The man landed awkwardly on his shoulder and bellowed in pain as he rolled away. Hel stumbled, shaking her head and the hand she had plowed Jervis with. That was a mistake because Lector darted forward in that streaky way that Lobo had always hated about Zephyrs. He planted a knee into small of Hel's back and wrapped an arm around her neck as her head snapped back. Before he could lock the hold, Hel was flipping backwards in an impossible maneuver that caused Lector to release his hold. Unfortunately for the woman, that carried her into the waiting arms of Toby. With impressive speed, Hel snaked her right leg around Toby's and swept them both backward. Lector was there in an instant and raising a bare foot to stomp the wildwoman's ribs in.

Lobo could not follow the action, he had never been an expert on ground fighting maneuvers, but Hel somehow managed to slip out of the hold Jervis had on her and grab Lector's foot before it was completely raised. Once again, Lobo's jaw dropped as she grabbed Lector by the balls and lifted all one hundred and eighty pounds over her head only to slam him with brutal strength onto Toby. The back of Lector's head hit Toby's shoulder and Lobo could tell the man was out like a light.

"Hey, bitch! I fucking owe ya!" Jervis bellowed as he came forward with a leaping punch that caught the slowly turning Hell full in the jaw. The man was a Healer, not the fastest Lobo had ever seen, but a dislocated shoulder wouldn't slow him down for long.

Hel spun to the ground and received a brutal kick to the ribs from Jervis that rolled her a few times. He kicked again and again until she was backed up against the side of the cage she had arrived in. Jervis picked her up by the throat and laughed as he squeezed. In reply, Hel spit a mouthful of blood into his gaping maw. Jervis sputtered, releasing his hold and comically grasping his throat as he choked, and Mei burst into laughter. That laughter quickly died as Hel planted a knee into Jervis gut that folded him up. The bloody-mouthed woman gritted her teeth as she gripped the back of Jervis' neck and the arm she had previously dislocated. With a grunt, she drove the top of Jervis' skull into one of the metal bands around the cage. A nasty sound echoed from inside the cage as she drew him back only to drive him facefirst into the dent she had created.

A meaty hand grabbed Hel by the back of head before she could continue her assault on the unconscious Jervis. Toby dragged her away from Jervis' limp body and spun the wobbly woman around to plant an stiff underhanded jab into her gut from point-blank range. It was good technique that lifted Hel off her feet and probably made whatever internal damage Jervis had inflicted even worse. For the third time, Lobo's mouth fell open as Hel lifted her legs to wrap around Toby's thick neck. The strength in those legs was obviously impressive because both of Toby's hands went to the appendages to try to wrench them off of him. Hel grabbed the back of Toby's head with one hand and mercilessly hammered her opposing elbow into it as the big man slowly sank to his knees. A massive cut, easily several inches long, was gushing blood all over the Hel's torso but she just kept hitting him.

"Tranq her!" Keaton shouted and Tiger fired instantly.

Hel jerked as the tranq dart hit her in the side of the thigh. Her legs released almost instantly and her face relaxed into unconsciousness within seconds.

"Medic!" Lobo bellowed as he grabbed a towel and ran to try to staunch the flow of blood from a groggy Toby's head.

Loren was clapping in delight at the spectacle before him. "Excellent! Very good, sir! What do you think now, Titan?"

"I'm not impressed. She was lucky. None of them went for a quick kill. They were trying to play and payed for it. She was tiring towards the end. No stamina."

Keaton chuckled. "I fed her a biscuit and a cup of water _once_ a day for a month. In fact, even _I've_ never seen her well-fed, rested, and after soaking in a lot of sun."

"What does the sun have to do with it?" Mei asked, as she limped away from where several of her men were helping Lector to his feet.

"It might be hard to believe but I've seen it myself. The more sun she gets, the stronger she gets and the more stamina she has. With plenty of sun, food, water, and rest? I wouldn't want to be on her bad side, let's say that." Keaton shrugged but looked slightly embarrassed at the admission.

"How much did you want for her again, sir?"

* * *

**A/N**: The mutant abilities that have been displayed, such as The Family and Rachel, are modified perks that you can find in the game. I've just adapted them to fit better into the story. There is a town named Nitro near Charleston, WV. Thank you, Google Maps. I've tried to model the story after the way Bethesda made the game; where I take actual places and geography and simply place them in the setting. This chapter is also not Beta'd so if it looks horrible and reads worse, that's all me.

Thanks for reading!


	31. XXXI

The Mayor's private meeting chambers were decorated just like the rest of her manor house; old by even pre-War standards. Behind a meticulously polished desk, not nearly as massive as other Mayors, were of a trio of bay windows that let in the soft, golden light of late afternoon. A soft leather chaise rested beneath a skylight in what the Mayor called her private "solarium" that was located in a circular alcove on the left side of the doorway. Over a hundred pre- and post-War books rested on bookshelves that stretched the entire length of the wall. In front of the desk, two large leather chairs sat on either side of a small glass-top table. For all the opulence, Lobo wished he was back at the Refinery, up to his knees in mud and screaming at training gladiators.

Loren O'Hara stood, dressed in an eye-popping lavender and red suit, with a malicious smirk on his face. Lobo willed his own visage to impassiveness just to deprive the little shit of his fun. Four guards flanked Lobo and another four flanked the Mayor's desk. Normal protocol, Lobo knew from talking to off-duty guards in Mulligan's, was one to the guest and two for the Mayor. Instead of Lobo feeling any pride at the fact that the Mayor was obviously terrified of him, it simply made him feel very tired.

"Three months, Titan." The Mayor called him by his hated gladiator moniker in her soft, genteel voice. "Three months and my son tells me that his newest prize has yet to be run through a single, complete day of training." The huge chair that had been facing the window was slowly spun so that its occupier could stare up into the Iron Man's eyes. Shrewd, bright blue eyes burrowed into his being before she spoke again. "Would you mind telling me why, with only three weeks to go until the opening matches, this has been allowed to continue?"

"I have no excuses, Mayor." Lobo answered immediately, truthfully, and apologetically. That trait of his had always kept him in good standing with her. "I have tried every type of persuasion I can think of but the prisoner is the most mulish cuss I have ever laid eyes on. We give her food and she eats but, if we don't, she just sits. The same with water. She doesn't beg, cry, scream, anything. All she does is sit and wait to die. She is an enigma. She won't let anyone _take_ her life, as I observed firsthand, but she will let herself fade into nothingness."

Mayor O'Hara steepled her fingers and placed them to her plump mouth as she studied him for a few moments longer. It was not the first time that Lobo became uncomfortable under that stare and not because the woman before him was one of the most powerful Mayors in Charleston. She was a devastatingly gorgeous woman even if she was on the bad side of thirty and she had the curvaceous, full-bodied kind of figure that Lobo favored. If not for the fact that the Mayor was a devout Catholic and only wore modest clothing, Lobo would have thought she enjoyed being desired by those that could never hope to have her. So Lobo, just as he had with her son, did not give her the satisfaction of such a reaction from a two-time Grand Champion of the Circle of Flesh.

"Were we not warned of her recalcitrance before we made the purchase?" The Mayor asked as she leaned back in her chair.

Internally, Lobo heaved a huge sigh of relief. Whenever the Mayor used "we" when talking about a fuck-up, that usually meant she was spreading the blame around.

"We were, mother, but Lobo thought he could break the woman's spirit!" Lobo grinned inside at Loren's outburst and deceit. For some reason, perhaps the influence of his uncles, Loren had a healthy dose of disdain for the opposite sexes mental capabilities. The sad part was that, even having grown up watching his mother politically eviscerate her opponents for believing that nonsense, Loren had fallen into the same trap.

"Have you learned nothing in all the years you've watched me run The Refinery and keep this town famous throughout the Appalachian Territories?" Mayor O'Hara bit off, her pale face quickly reddening to an almost alarming shade but Lobo was used to it.

"What do you mean, mother?" Loren always called her mother when he was particularly nervous about her reaction to another one of his screw-ups.

"Have you never listened to Lobo explain something to you that my own father told him?" The Mayor didn't even wait for another falsehood to fly from her son's mouth. "Breaking a man's will is a double-edged sword. Sometimes, yes, it will let you temper them into a finely-honed weapon. But, far more often, it renders them useless except as a sideshow before the primary matches. The most efficient and proven method is to make them see you as not a friend but a kindly benefactor that only wants to help. If you prove to be good at that, then they will practically wrap their own binding around their neck." The Mayor's voice rose to a furious shout as she swiveled to fully face her son and leaned forward in her chair. "In all the years of loyal service that Lobo has provided, never once has he even _hinted_ at trying to break a man's will to force him to fight! Never! It shames me to think that my own son would be so ignorant to the world around him as to make such an asinine statement."

Loren's eyes flashed to Lobo, who kept his face as neutral as possible, and glared in embarrassment. "B-but mother-!"

"Leave my sight, Loren, before I lose my patience in its entirety." Mayor O'Hara turned to fix her baleful stare on Lobo as her son huffed his way out of the room. Once his bodyguard had closed the doors behind him, the Mayor spoke.

"Sometimes, I think it's a blessing that you never had any children, Lobo." The Mayor sighed, slumped in her chair, and suddenly looked all of her thirty-plus years and then some. "I've lost two daughters, a son, and my husband. God bless their souls. My only surviving son could care less about keeping this town running and my youngest, as smart as she is, has started presenting plans to abolish slavery of all things. Abolish slavery! The very lifeblood of our nation! No, Lobo, sometimes I think I would have been better off adopting the cast-offs of other noble families that would be grateful and, perhaps, more malleable."

As was expected of him, whenever the Mayor fell into such moods, Lobo nodded, "As you say, Mayor."

Mayor O'Hara waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "This does not concern you, Lobo, but I appreciate the ear." Her expression darkened as she leaned back into the shadows cast by the high back of her chair. "You have three weeks to get this scrapper into some semblance of shape. If not, we'll enter her into some dog matches. If she's as good as you say, she'll live long enough so that we at least break even on my idiot son's whim. If not, then I'll be forced to enter your more promising prospects into dog matches." The Mayor's eyes narrowed as Lobo failed to suppress a grimace. "You have some objection to this, Lobo?"

"If that's what you want, Mayor, then I'll prepare as best I can. I wouldn't put any of my current crop into an exhibition bout if I wished to see them reach their full potential. A crushing defeat now might mess their heads up."

"Duly noted, Lobo. You've kept Nitro as the Champion of Flesh since you won your last grand championship so I trust you. I'll have a talk with my son about heeding your judgment a little more closely next time but I am confident that you'll find a way to make this 'Hel' productive." She gave him a small, tired smile. "You're free to go."

"Thank you, Mayor."

* * *

"I'm surprised ya didn' bow and kiss her feet, too, Lobo!" Mei laughed and slapped him on the abdomen as they sat on their customary stools at Mulligan's bar.

Lobo grunted and hefted his mug of Mulligan's Brew to his lips. The loamy stuff had the most powerful kick of any of the microbrews that Lobo had tasted in the Charleston region. It always amazed him that Mei was able to put so much of it away. The Iron Man looked at his smaller companion from his reinforced bar stool and sighed.

"Show a little respect, Mei."

The Mistress of Steel snorted indelicately and rolled her eyes. "The only one that'll dahre ta come close when we're at tha bar is Mulligan and he ain't gunna rat us out. Are ya, Mulligan?" Mei raised her shot glass to toast the tall redhead behind the bar.

Mulligan's bright green eyes twinkled as he clinked a glass he had been cleaning against Mei's raised one, "You're too cute to rat out and that's a fact. Now, ol' Lobo, he's just far too ugly to _not_."

"I don't know why I even come here." Lobo growled and downed the rest of his tin mug.

Mei flashed him a wide smile, "Because ya can't resist me about most thangs!"

Lobo graced her with a rare smile before holding his mug out for a refill. Mulligan's bar was nestled in what everyone called the town square in a fairly large two-story building. The upstairs was where Mulligan and his family lived while the basement and first floor were for the business. Mulligan obviously liked semi-circles since the bar itself was one that stretched across half of the back wall and the rest of the room was divided by seven pairs of half-moon tables to the door. Mulligan also had a patio area outside where people could freely smoke. For some reason, the man hated smokers inside his establishment. Most nights, people crowded around the bar as they screamed for Mulligan and his daughter, Samantha, to take their orders. The bar owner always told Lobo he enjoyed when the Grand Champion showed up because only those that were friendly with him, and those could be counted quickly, dared to approach too closely.

"Fer someone that made it to Grand Champ, you sure do brood a lot. And ya also don't pay much attention." Mei threw back her shot of moonshine and smacked her lips. "That's smooth, Mullie."

"What do you mean, Mei?"

Mei's brown eyes widened innocently. "About what?"

"Me not paying attention. Be serious. Lives might be at stake."

"Ya really need to get laid, Lobo. Damn." Mei shook her head and gave him a quick wink. "Haven't you wondered why, when you look at her, she doesn't seem as starved as she should?"

"Someone's been feeding her?"

"And giving 'er water and probably somethin' to clean herself with. Anyone that's come that close to her ta do that must be on 'er good side. All ya have ta do is figure out who it is and what- hey!" Mei shouted as someone bumped into her with deliberate force and knocked her off the chair.

Lobo looked down as Mei looked up in shock and embarrassment that she could be thoroughly humbled. When Lobo looked up, he met the side profiles of a trio of young men; road guards if their weathered leather gear was any indication. They acted as though they hadn't even seen Mei sitting in the chair that the largest one now occupied.

"Oh shit!" Mulligan yelped and the sudden stampede of people leaving the bar drowned out the first part of his sentence to the strangers. "-get the fuck outta here while you can still walk right!"

"You think I'm scared of a burnt-out slave, old man?" The largest one looked down at Lobo as he stood up and flexed his biceps inside his leather armor. "I'll knock his ass out wit' one punch!"

"He's the fuckin' Titan of Nitro, you little shit! He's had tougher bowel movements than you three put together!"

The shortest guard was at least six feet tall and well-muscled with a thick brown beard. Lobo noticed that all three were bald and had an 8-ball tattooed into the sides of their pale scalps. With a sigh, Mei stood and grabbed Lobo by the arm.

"We got enough trouble with the Mayor, Lobo. Let's just go."

Lobo locked eyes with all three before raising his mug to drain it. When he lowered it, he was still staring directly at the three strangers.

"Yeah, let's go."

Lobo stood and the tallest, original speaker did a double-take as it was revealed that Lobo bettered him in height by at least an inch. The reinforced bar stool was nearly half a foot shorter than the others to help better maintain integrity. This new knowledge didn't stop the blonde-haired one that had remained silent up until then from laughing uproariously.

"Yeah, take your crippled whore and get tha fuck out of here!"

"Aw, man. Lobo I just got this place how I wanted!"

"Fuck me..." Mei whispered nearly simultaneously with Mulligan's shout.

Lobo gently removed Mei's hand from his forearm and guided her towards the lefthand wall.

"Oh, you're gonna fi-!"

Whatever the tallest had been about to say was cut off by Lobo suddenly reaching out an impossibly large hand to clamp around his mouth and jaw. In a lightning fast motion, Lobo snapped the guard's head down toward the bar as he kicked the stool out from under him. The resultant crack of skull against the polished granite surface was sickening and blood gushed from the rent in the guards scalp.

"You bastard!" The shortest screamed and bent to pick up his bar stool.

Lobo was there before he could fully straighten and clamped one hand around his throat while the other grabbed him by the balls. With no visible strain, Lob hurled the two hundred pound man into the wall ten feet behind him. The thick plaster was no match for the strength of the Titan of Nitro and a man-sized crater was dug deep into the wall.

"Ugh, my back! My back!" The guard began to scream as his legs wouldn't respond to his commands and a trail of dark liquid appeared in his light gray canvas pants.

"Fuck this!" The blonde guard shouted and began running towards the exit.

Lobo darted after him to plant a push kick into his upper back that sent him flying through the half-moon double doors of Mulligan's. He landed and rolled to a stop nearly on the other side of the street. The crowd that had run from the bar at the first sign of trouble was waiting outside and quickly backed away when Lobo followed his rival gladiator out onto the Circle floor. He hefted him up by the Ownership Ring in the center of his chest and raised his hand back for the finishing strike.

"Lobo, stop!" Someone grabbed him from behind with ineffectual strength and began screaming so loudly that he felt the vibration in his sternum. "It's not a Circle! We're in Nitro! At Mulligan's! Let's go home!"

_Mei_.

Lobo looked down and dropped the blonde-haired young guard in shock. He shook his head, suddenly groggy and disoriented, as Mei tugged on his arm gently.

"Come on, big guy. Let's get you into bed."

"Okay." Lobo replied slowly as the haze of battle-rage began to leave him. "Did I kill anyone?"

"No. But they're not goin' ta be doin' much of anything besides be in pain fer the next month."

"Good."

* * *

"Lobo, wake up." Mei's soft voice roused Lobo from his light slumber.

"Yeah." He grumbled as he sat up from his customized, oversized bed. "What is it?"

"Follow me." Mei turned and Lobo took a moment to admire the sway of her hips in the moonlight coming through the window high on the wall behind him.

With a shake of his head, Lobo stood to follow his fellow Master. He was clothed in a fresh pair of woolen pants sans shoes and shirt. His training, despite being years in the past, had included lessons on ignoring minor, transient discomforts. Mei led Lobo out of his room, really more of a large cell, and down the hall towards the interior roof access stairwell. The halls were completely devoid of movement. After a certain time of night, all the guards were called to the walls to provide tighter security against night raids. Mei quietly eased open the single door and led the way up the grated stairs.

Mei turned to him before they moved out onto the roof, "Stay low and keep quiet."

With that said, the beautiful warrior opened up the door just wide enough for Lobo to slip through before she joined him. Moving in a stoop, Mei went to the edge of the roof that overlooked the training yard. Lobo needed no prompting when she slid to her stomach and did the same. He spared a glance at Mei, one of puzzlement, and she tapped her ear.

The wait was not a long one. In less than ten minutes, one of the doors below them creaked as someone attempted to open it soundlessly.

"Goddamnit, Wei! Be easy!" A harsh, resonant voice that Lobo knew belonged to one of his three prospects named Mikey. "You wanna get us caught?"

A voice answered him back, far more softly, in the rapid-fire language of the golden barbarians.

"I don't speak that shit, man." Mikey shot back.

"Shut tha fuck up then, Mikey." Wei answered in English.

"I still don't see why we're doin' this for a bitch we don't know."

"For the thousandth time, Mikey, if you don't like it, then go back to bed." Wei snapped irritably.

Lobo saw Mei raise her head up and peer over the small ledge. He joined her and watched the trio of figures: Tony, Mikey and Wei. They made an odd little group. Tony was easily the tallest, just shy of six feet, and barely into his teens. He also had that shade of naturally dark brown skin that was becoming increasingly rare in the Charleston territory. Mikey, on the other hand, was only an inch or two shorter than Tony and had the stereotypical look of the "handsome" Charleston-dweller: A couple inches shy of six feet, sandy blonde hair and dark blue eyes. Lobo was sure that Mikey had been used by more than a few upper-class women even though he was a month or so away from being 16. Wei was the smallest of the bunch, a domesticated barbarian, but was the eldest and the other two were obviously following his lead. He had the normal golden-yellow skin and slanted amber eyes of his people.

None of the three were turning into what he would have called future champions. Mikey was the only one of the trio that had the natural killer instinct that was necessary in a gladiator. Wei and Tony were both far too softhearted and fought in entirely too defensive a manner. It would work for awhile and maybe advance them in the preliminaries that took place in the towns around Charleston but it would never work in the big show. All three were more of Loren's brilliant purchases. Two cowards and someone whose potential was limited by an unbelievable amount of unrealistic arrogance.

So, it was a shock to see timid Wei leading the way right up to Hel's cage. In his hands, he held a round canteen and a tray of food. The food tray seemed to mostly consist of rolls, probably castoffs from the Mayor's lunch hour, with the occasional bit of sausage and piece of cheese thrown in.

"Hey, Hel. I'm here." Wei called into the cage as he slid the feeder slot in the front open. "Sorry it's cold."

Lobo's breath hitched when one of Hel's pale hands darted out of the cage. Instead of the eye-gouging that the former grand champion expected, he was flabbergasted when Wei got his hair ruffled.

"Stop that, Hel." Wei replied, sounding like the teenager he was being made a fuss of over his mother, and stepped out of range.

Tony came up next and knelt down to receive his own ruffling. He actually seemed pleased as he went to sit on the ground before the cage beside Wei. Mikey huffily flopped to the ground on Wei's other side. They sat in a comfortable silence as Hel obviously ate her food. Within five minutes, the tray was being slid through the feeder slot and the canteen passed back.

"Thanks."

Lobo's jaw threatened to unhinge with the force that his mouth fell open.

"Yer welcome." Wei retrieved the tray and stood awkwardly before the bars of the cage.

Then Hel's voice, rough and unaccustomed to such use, began to sing a lonesome song that Lobo had heard sung among first-generation slaves from the golden barbarian tribes. It was a sad piece; filled with longing and sorrow. During the second verse, Wei throatily joined in. Neither voice was particularly vocally talented but the emotion that was conveyed transcended talent. Even Lobo was moved a bit by the duo.

"Thank you, Hel." All three boys chorused.

"We should get back, Wei, before someone finally rats us out." Mikey said and promptly turned to make his way back inside.

"Yah should just train, Hel, so you ken get out of that cage." Wei suggested, his face only an inch from the bar.

"I fight for myself; not for the pleasure of others." Hel's voice was not as harsh and deep as Lobo has imagined. It was possessed of a huskiness that was not altogether unpleasant.

In that voice, Lobo found the answer to his dilemma.

* * *

The scene in the training yard was far less peaceful six hours later. Lobo had arisen and thundered his way through the barracks. His bellow had ejected the gladiators and prospects from their beds as though they had mythical jetpacks strapped to their asses. A few minutes later found them standing in a semi-circle in front of Hel's cart.

"Tony, Wei, Mikey! Front and center!" Lobo shouted, veins throbbing with the force of his voice, and the trio of prospects jumped into place a few feet in front of him. The Master of Flesh placed his hands behind his back as he began to pace in front of them. "I think I've been too soft on the three of you! Never in all my time as a gladiator have I seen such weak-willed, pathetic sacks of shit as you three!" Lobo wiped the corners of his upper lip with his thumb as if he were contemplating their fate. The queasy looks on their faces, akin to the ones they had worn fresh from the block, did not sit well with him at all.

_Steady, Lobo. This is to everyone's benefit._

"Slab, Paul, Jervis! You're going to give these three a taste of what real gladiators can do. Feel free to do as you please. Maybe it'll toughen them up. If it kills them..." Lobo turned away with a carefree shrug.

Of the three prospects, only Mikey bristled with anger at the turn of events; the other two simply wore looks of dread and confusion.

"Oh, I've been waiting for this day, you little fucks!" Jervis sneered and cracked his knuckles gleefully.

"Fight!" On Lobo's bark, the three veterans burst into angry motion.

As expected, Mikey counter-charged Paul with an enraged bellow erupting from his throat. The two met with a meaty thud and the younger man bounced back almost pathetically. Tony tried to circle away from Slab, who was appropriately named given that he was as solid as a slab of granite, but only managed to circle into a wicked hook to the body. Wei tried a decent hand combination but Jervis was a seasoned fighter and deftly evaded the blows before stunning the smaller man with a left straight to the face. Blood exploded from Wei's shattered nose as he stumbled backwards. This was stopped by Jervis' grip around his neck as he picked Wei up and slammed him down. Lobo maintained a stony visage but, internally, he was wincing with every blow that the prospects received. Mikey was engaged in a back-and-forth slugfest with Paul while Tony was covering up as he tried to survive Slab's onslaught. Jervis mounted Wei with cruel laughter and began casually pummeling the boy.

Lobo leaned back against the side of Hel's cage and began to speak in a conversational tone as he saw pale hands grip the bars, "I don't know how or why you've become attached to those boys but you should know something, Hel. The beating they're receiving now is far, far easier than the death they will have if you continue defying the Mayor. I have seen it. They will die screaming and I have done all I can to stop it. Now, it is up to you."

Several long moments passed as Lobo tried to dispassionately watch the beating before he stole a glance at the cage. When he did, his eyes widened in astonishment. Hel was daintily stepping through the gap in the bars she had made through sheer muscle power. Several quick, determined strides carried her to Jervis' position. He looked up just in time for his jaw to drop before Hel caught him in it with a knee-lift. The blow sent the Healer flying backwards off of Wei and, as soon as both feet were on the ground, Hel sprinted in the direction where Slab was battering Tony. A breathtaking running back-kick folded Slab up at the midsection as he fell to his knees. As Hel straightened, Paul turned from a wobbly, bloody Mikey. Hel extended her arms and waved him forward. The gladiator, seeing the condition of his brothers, hesitated before charging forward with a cry that was half-fury and half-desperation. Hel cocked her head to the side as if she were puzzled before stepping into the charge and tossing the heavy man over her hip as though he weighed nothing.

As the three men struggled to recover their senses, Hel gathered the three boys in front of her with a firm hand. She stared each of them hard in the eye before whispering in their ear. Whatever she had to say straightened each of their spines and put a fire in their bellies; it was plain as day to Lobo's experienced eyes. Every pair of eyes were on Hel as she lightly cuffed the three beaten youths on the face before moving to stand beside Lobo.

"Now we'll _all_ fight." She said in her whiskey-soaked voice.

"I believe it."


	32. XXXII

The day began well. Lobo had entered the training yard to find Wei, Tony, and Mikey already weight training under the intense gaze of Hel. The mysterious woman had taken to wearing loose, gray sweatpants and a billowy long-sleeved shirt but refused to wear shoes; instead, she had daily wrapped her hands and feet in boxer's tape. Despite her odd attire, Lobo could not fault her ability. In little less than a week, Hel had improved each of his newest prospect's attitudes, which resulted in much better sparring sessions, to a degree that the Master of Flesh found incredible. The woman herself had seemingly put twenty pounds of pure muscle overnight. Instead of a horrible, near-skeletal abomination of womanhood, Hel merely looked like a woman that could put you through a wall if you said the wrong thing. After Lobo's morning routine, he roused the others and what he thought would be a productive day of training began.

Then the day took a turn straight to Hell in the form of a summons to the Mayor's office. Waiting for him, a sure indicator that something bad was about to happen, was Loren with a thunderous pout brewing on his face. That, as well as the murderous frown on his mother's, was all the proof Lobo needed that the surviving O'Hara son had fucked up again. Lobo stood, his posture stiff, as he waited to hear whatever disaster Loren had cooked up this time.

"How are the three newest prospects doing, Lobo?" He was surprised at the first words the Mayor spoke.

"Excellent, Mayor. Now that Hel has taken them under her wing, they are progressing much more quickly in their training."

"Are they ready for the Circle?"

"I'm very confident that any one of them could advance all the way to Amateur Champion."

"No, Lobo, I meant a real Circle." Mayor O'Hara signed and fixed her son with a steely, blue eye. "My idiot son has landed us in the shit again, Lobo. He got drunk in Charleston a few days ago and bragged that the lowest of Nitro's gladiators could beat the best of any of the other towns. Fortunately, our reputation stopped too many from calling him out but those Elkview shits just couldn't resist."

It was a measure of the Mayor's ire that she was using such foul language. That anger's source was probably equally divided between her son and the Mayor of Elkview. Elkview was Nitro's fiercest competition when it came to the Circle of Flesh.

"So, my alcohol-addled boy agreed that our three prospects would fight three of Elkviews Dog-Men in a dog match in Dunbar tomorrow night."

Lobo's entire body filled with ice at the Mayor's words. The Dog-Men of Elkview were the unofficial champions of the dog matches, unsanctioned no-holds-barred fights in whatever pit the local promoters could fit them into. Unruly prospects and over-the-hill gladiators usually ended their lives in spectacularly brutal fashion in dog matches. There was no glory in those hell-pits, only survival or death.

"They are not ready." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

The Mayor stared at Lobo so long that her face turned a terrifying shade of red before she exploded, "You said they were ready for exhibition matches! If they die, it's on your head as well as my fucking son's! Get out of here and get them ready! We leave in two hours!"

"Do we know anything about their opponents?"

"Not a thing! Can you believe it?! He didn't learn anything except how much it costs to fuck a whore that's supposed to be from the west coast!"

"Why are you letting him speak to you like that, mother? He's still little better than a slave." Loren was nearly seething with anger and resentment at the way his mother was treating him.

"If he was a slave that fucked up even _half_ as much as you have, I'd have hung him a thousand times over! Now _shut up_!" The Mayor's chest heaved with her bellowing as she turned her eyes back to Lobo. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

The calm way she asked that final question was enough of a prod for Lobo to take his leave. When she went from steaming hot to ice cold in the space of seconds, it was time to vacate the premises. As Lobo made his way back to The Refinery, he tried to find a way to break the news to the young men. He had seen Panzer, _his_ Master of Flesh, deliver the message that someone had been selected for a dog match but this was the first for Lobo.

_And I had hoped this day would never come._ He lamented internally without letting his stoic visage waver.

The Master of Flesh found no flowery words to hide the bitter stench of the latest shit that Loren had landed them in. He faced them in the small chalk circle Hel and the three boys were using to spar with what was obviously a completely shell-shocked look because Hel nodded in his direction. Wei immediately picked up on the non-verbal cue and made his way over.

"Ya need something, Master?" Wei asked, golden skin glistening with his perspiration.

"You four. Come with me." Lobo instructed them, including Hel since he doubted she would not simply follow even if he didn't, and led the way into the main building.

He followed the route to their bunkroom, a smaller one where all new prospects were housed to avoid too much friction with the veterans, and gestured for them to have a seat on the cot against the far wall. Once all four were seated, Lobo took the plunge.

"The Mayor has entered you three boys in a dog match." He could practically smell the fear erupt from their pores as they glanced at each other with wide eyes.

"What's a dog match?" Hel's smoky, damaged voice parted the thick cloud of dread that had permeated the room.

"Pit fights. No rules. No Lenience. Every fight is to the death." Lobo answered her and, if it weren't for Hel's presence, he thought Tony might have begged for Lobo to find a way out for him.

"Who are they fighting?"

"I don't know..." Lobo told a half-truth because, if they knew who they were fighting, it would cause them to panic even more. Sometimes, it was best to go into a match not knowing who you were fighting until they announced it. Veterans learned to control their anxiety over long periods of time. Prospects, in Lobo's experience, actually had their effectiveness reduced for every day they were left dreading their inevitable death at the hands of some feared gladiator. "Whoever they are, if you fight as you've been trained, you will have a chance." Lobo, as his Master had before him, never spoke in terms of sure defeat or victory. To be at peace with whatever outcome naturally developed when two warriors met in battle was a powerful advantage. "Pack your things. We leave in an hour and a half."

Lobo leaned against the wall just outside the barracks and waited.

"You can do this." Came Hel's voice after a few minutes. "You are all strong and courageous. I don't care what the others say. You _are_ Brothers of the Circle now. You will make me, your ancestors, and yourselves _proud_, not matter the outcome. When you come back to me, we will celebrate and begin planning what lives we'll have when we're free." It was the most Lobo had ever heard Hell say but she was not done yet. "C'mere."

There were three startled squawks as, if Lobo's guess was right, Hel grabbed them all in a rib-cracking bear hug. Several moments later, Hel began to sing.

"_And am I born to die?_

_To lay this body down?_

_And must my trembling spirit fly_

_Into a world unknown?_

_A land of deepest shade,_

_Unpierced by human thought,_

_The dreary regions of the dead,_

_Where all things are forgot?_

_Soon as from Earth I go,_

_What will become of me?_

_Eternal happiness or woe_

_Must then my portion be;_

_Waked by the trumpet's sound,_

_I from my grave shall rise,_

_And see the Judge with glory crowned,_

_And see the flaming skies_

_And see the Judge with glory crowned_

_And see the flaming skies..."_

Lobo hurried away to prepare but not before wiping the tears that had tracked the dirt on his face.

* * *

She knew that her name was not Hel but she had been referred to by it for so long that it had become her internal moniker. There were also memories, fuzzy and indistinct, that were rising like islands from a lake. The memories that evoked the most emotion were of three faceless figures that filled Hel with warmth and further strengthened her will to survive. This lingering memory of The Time Before was, perhaps, the reason behind her bond with the three gladiators-in-training.

The mere thought of her three boys filled her with acidic anxiety that was almost instantly calmed by the warm rays of the sun as she lay flat on her back atop the roof of The Refinery. Despite the frigid nature of the air, as they were beginning to enter the rainy season, Hel was clothed in a pair of shorts so scanty in nature they could be confused for underwear and a tubetop. None of the quartet of guards posted on the roof came closer than ten feet as they had seen her spar in the yard below. With Lobo gone, Mei had taken over supervision of the gladiators of Flesh. That meant that, as long as they were all doing something the Mistress of Steel considered productive, they were left to their own devices. High-intensity weight training and stamina conditioning in the morning, followed by several hours of laying under the sun, was productive enough in Hel's case.

"They're back!" Slab's bellow rang out above the sounds of bodies colliding and steel clanging.

Hel was on her feet in an instant and racing to the edge of the roof that faced the training yard. Sure enough, Lobo was at the head of a small group of people. She could tell something was wrong just from that one glance. Lobo had left with the three boys and one of the medics. He had returned with three big men, the medic, and two wheelbarrows. The gladiators of Flesh and Steel formed a corridor that the group passed through. That honor was denied Loren as the haggard scion of the O'Hara dynasty trailed the procession; face twisting as the adjacent rows broke apart. Hel strained to see what was in the wheelbarrows and, when she finally did, a piercing wail erupted from her throat.

Without thought, Hel jumped off the edge of the roof, rolled to break her fall, and sprinted toward Wei's limp form as it was wheeled towards the main entrance. One of the big men, dressed in the leather armor of a road guard, moved to stop her. Hel grabbed him by the collar and belt and pushed him away from her with a casualness that was astonishing for how many feet he flew before crashing to the ground with bruising force. Hel was at Wei's side seconds after, barely hearing Lobo's roar for the other guards to leave her be, and grabbed his hand in hers. His face was a black mass of horrible bruised and disfigured flesh that seemed to writhe even as she watched. Both hands were crooked and bent as was his right leg. Tears, hot and weighing more than she could bear, burst from the dam of her eyes as she watched him try to open a swollen eye to face her.

"Mama, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Mama." He croaked, voice damaged almost beyond recognition.

"Shhhh," Hel whispered, carefully running a hand along the top of his head. "I'm here. You did good. You just need to rest now."

The wheelbarrow had stopped moving and Hel looked up to see that everyone had backed away from her except for Lobo.

"What happened?" She asked, not caring that tears were still falling down her cheeks.

"They were destroyed." Lobo asked, his voice devoid of emotion. "They fought Dog-Men. It was a death sentence." Lobo's lower lipped trembled with bitter recrimination. "I couldn't tell them. How do you tell someone they're going to die because some stupid shit can't control himself? I'm sorry."

"Will he live?" Hel asked and had to choke back another wail when Lobo shook his head.

"He's a Healer but even they have limits and his gift was never that strong. We should get him inside."

Hel put up a hand to stop Lobo in his tracks. "I got him."

The doors that led into the training yard were big enough to fit the wheelbarrow through and she pushed Wei all the way to the infirmary door. She gently lifted him out and carried him to the cot beneath the window on the left wall. The medic manning the desk to the right of the entrance took one look at Hel's face and made a hasty exit. Lobo entered half an hour later, his massive presence not intimidating in the slightest, and stood vigil with her.

Wei slipped in and out of consciousness for the next few hours. He awoke once in agony which was quickly soothed by a heavy dose of med-x. Hel whispered to him, nearly non-stop, for hours. Only briefly pausing to relieve her bladder and have a drink of water to wet her throat. Sometime around midnight, if the clock on the wall was accurate, Wei opened his eyes and seemed to see clearly.

"Hel... what's... your name?" Wei whispered and Hel tried her best to remember for him.

"K-Katya Rachel Mc-McAdams." She answered after several moments.

"Katya? I... like it. Sing me a song, Katya. From where you're from."

"I don't know any." She admitted, ashamed of herself. He was dying. She could feel his pulse weakening in her grip and, if she were honest with herself, she could _smell_ it; another strange side effect of her increasingly mutated physiology.

"Please."

Hel closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. Quickly, to her surprise, the image of a woman so blonde that her hair seemed white was hovering over her. The woman planted a kiss on her head and rocked Hel in her lap. Words began to tumble from this mystery woman's mouth as her blue eyes twinkled with love. Those words spilled from Hel's own lips with raw emotion.

"_Prituri Se Planinata..."_

* * *

Lobo's lower lip trembled as it betrayed his effort to hold back his own tears as Hel sang something in a language he had never heard before. Her voice reverberated in the large infirmary and was probably echoing through the corridors. Normally, he had a strict policy about noise after a certain time but this was an occasion when he didn't care.

The matches had been brutal. Loren, Lobo, Wei, Tony, Mikey, and a trio of guards had met Elkviews Master of Flesh in what had once been the floor of a factory. A rectangular pit, at least twenty feet by thirty-five, had been dug into the center and lined with sharp spikes everywhere but the single stone stairway. Waiting in that pit, with an air of confidence bred by survival and experience, were the three Dog-Men. Without preamble, Wei, Tony, and Mikey were told to get into the pit. The crowd, at least two hundred people crowding the catwalk above them as well as the floor, had jeered with laughter at the sight of Lobo's three gladiators. It had been obvious they were young and unbloodied. With last words of encouragement that tasted like ash in his mouth, Lobo had left them to descend into the pit. He had barely been able to watch as Tony was bullrushed into one of the longer spikes. All three Dog-Men were Iron Men and had considerable size advantages over each of Lobo's boys. Mikey had fared little better and was knocked out cold with a three-punch combination before he had his neck brutally broken. Wei, surprisingly, had lasted the longest but that was primarily due to a Healer's ability to take a beating and keep on fighting. Lobo was proud as the smallest of his boys managed to actually hurt one of the Dog-Men with a hook to the liver. That had proven his downfall as they tired of toying with him. How Wei had stayed standing for so long, Lobo didn't know, but he had eventually fallen to the dirt floor. The local medic had declared Wei dead but, as was often the case with Healers, it had not taken entirely. Several minutes later, Wei's heart started to beat again. A closer examination by Lobo's own medic had revealed that Wei's liver, kidneys, and heart were all either failing or severely weakened.

It had been a feat of will by which Wei had made it back to Nitro and Lobo firmly believed it was entirely due to him wanting to see Hel one last time.

_Katya. _Lobo reminded himself. _Her name is Katya. I will have to remember that._

A knock on the door had him quickly moving before it could interrupt Hel's song. He found Mei waiting outside with a curious expression on her face. Lobo quietly slipped out and closed the door behind him.

"What is that?" Mei asked and Lobo was unsurprised to hear that he had been right about the sound echoing throughout The Refinery.

"Hel." He would keep the secret of her name to himself until Hel told him otherwise.

"Jesus." Mei crossed herself before placing a hand on his bicep. "You alright, big guy?"

"No." Lobo told her, hands curling into fists as he tried to control his anger. "I always knew we were just meat to them but the Mayor's never thrown it in my face until the last few years. I would blame it on that fucking Loren but she's always been like that, I just didn't want to see it. They're all like that. I wish-"

Lobo bit off his words, casting a suspicious eye down the dimly lit halls of The Refinery, but Mei finished it for him. "-Wished that you could change things?" Lobo nodded and Mei searched his eyes for a moment before grinning. "We'll talk about it when we get to Charleston."

The singing tapered to an end and the two stood vigil for several minutes before Hel emerged.

"You know who did this?" She asked Lobo, her eyes hidden in the shadows but glistening with emotion.

"Yes."

"I want to kill them. All at once."

Lobo clapped both massive hands onto Hel's shoulders, surprised by how solid she felt beneath them, and gazed deep into her eyes.

"Then I'll make sure you have the chance. I swear to you on their memories and what little honor I have left in me." When Lobo finished, Hel did the last thing Lobo ever expected.

She smiled.

* * *

_A/N_: _This chapter was short because I'm trying to get back into writing on a daily basis so bear with me. It's also un-Beta'd because I'm an impatient douche. Sorry, 'Juicy!_

_You can find the songs that Rachel/Hel sang on Youtube._

_Am I Born To Die? Is most easily found sung by Tim Eriksen but I like the amateur version done by Banjoape. I would post a link but we all know how FF is about that. Search "Am I Born to Die Banjoape" on Youtube if you want to hear. I love those women. :)_

_Prituri Se Planinata is a Bulgarian folksong that has all kinds of versions but I hate the modern tracks. The kind that Rachel is singing is the original composition. You can find it by searching "Prituri Se Planinata Stefka Sabotinova". Another good one is the one by the Bulgarian National Radio Children's choir. You can find that by entering by copying and pasting "Prituri Se Planinata Children" in the Youtube search. It'll say "The Mountain Has Overturned", which is the title translated, and the actual singing doesn't start until about 1:40 into the vid._

_Whew. Anyway, it's not necessary to check out the songs but it helps to convey the emotion of the scenes._


	33. XXXIII

The roar of the Town Center was more than a sound. It was a feeling that, from years of conditioning, always filled Lobo's veins with fire. Even now, as he watched through the barred viewing window to the left of Nitro's "Lounge" entrance as two men fought on the fine dirt floor of _the_ Circle of Flesh, the urge to get out there and fight caused a slight tremor in his hands. A small, firm hand gently stilled his left as it shook against the ancient bricks. He turned to meet Mei's dark brown eyes and she gave him a reassuring smile.

"She'll be fine, Lobo. We both know we ain't never seen anyone like her."

He grunted, not tearing his eyes away from the exhibition match, as he replied, "It's still three-on-one and they're Dog-Men." Lobo nodded in appreciation as the taller, heavier of the two gladiators let his lighter, more agile foe circle while he covered up.

"She seems determined ta avenge 'em."

Lobo barked laughter when the heavier fighter put down his foe with a single, carefully timed hook to the body. A white towel, lined with dark red stripes, was thrown from the town of Hurricane's Lounge and the referee waved the victor away.

"We'll see how far that takes her."

The Town Center, called a mall in the days before the War, was the site of the official championships of Flesh. There were four courts in the mall: Center, Blue, Green, and Pink. Lobo, despite having fought in this place the majority of his adult life, had no idea why the courts were labeled in that manner. He did know that the Town Center was the most impressive pre-War structure, even eclipsing the Power Stadium where the Circle of Steel championships were fought during the summer, in Charleston. It stretched for several blocks and had two full levels along with a partial third in the Center Court where the elite of Charleston society viewed the matches while dining on delicacies with names Lobo had never been able to come close to pronouncing.

Each of the towns participating in the Circles, which were all of them with the exception of the frontier towns, had their own personal Lounges in what had once been storefronts around the Center Court. The long corridors that were accessed in the backs of the Lounges, hidden from sight, were used to move the gladiators out of the public view. As Lobo gazed out at the packed crowd of common-folk on the ground level, drunken cheers and boos erupting in plentiful supply, he resisted the urge to spit. In his later years, the former grand champion had becoming increasingly disgusted with the attitudes of the free men and women of Charleston. Trying to put such thoughts from his mind, he turned back to the lone occupant of the room.

Normally the benches lining the wall to his left would have been full of Nitro's gladiators as they waited for their bouts but the Mayor, after losing three prospects so early in the season, had foregone the usual entries into the exhibition/amateur contests. There had been one exception, granted only thanks to Lobo's intense guarantees, and that person was kneeling on a mat in the center of the floor.

Both of Hel's knees were together while her hands rested lightly on her thighs. The mysterious woman seemed far more composed than any first timer that Lobo had ever seen and it gave weight to many of his suspicions about the origins of her fighting abilities. If only he had been able to convince the Mayor that they could have done without Loren's ridiculous idea of showmanship. Unfortunately, the Mayor had allowed her son to have Hel's hair cut into a spiky, gelled mess while clothing her in black fighting shorts and a trio of thin leather straps that offered minimal coverage to her admittedly meager cleavage.

"I can't believe the Mayor let him put her in these clothes. She's a fighter! A Sister of Flesh!" Lobo growled quietly to Mei.

Mei chuckled and shook her head, "Lobo, you fought in a pair of trunks without a shirt. How is that different?"

"I'm a man!"

Mei outright laughed at that, "Yes, you sure are."

"Nitro!" A voice bellowed from the doorway. "Your bout's in ten on Blue; far entrance!"

Hel's eyes opened, the whites so minimal that they resembled pools of ink, and she slowly rose from her kneeling position. Lobo had not taken any measurements but he was almost certain the woman had grown a couple of inches to put her over six feet in height. The differences in shape and weight were even more distinctive. Hel had filled out with an impressive amount of muscle, especially in her formally skeletal thighs, and her abdomen was slightly distended from all of the explosive core movement training she had rigorously put herself through. A stylized N over a stick of dynamite, the official symbol of Nitro, had been crudely drawn in black ink on Hel's right shoulder. Seeing the drawing, stark against her pale skin, made Lobo uncomfortably aware of the slave-brand on his own right shoulder. Whatever gifts Hel had, one of them prevented her skin from forming scar tissue of any sort. Mei had commented, more than once, about the woman's flawless skin before they had tried unsuccessfully to brand her.

"Ya have ta admit, Lobo, she _is_ intimadatin' as Hell," Lobo turned to find Mei's face widened in a broad grin at her own jest.

Lobo shook his head at his comrades irreverence and gestured for Hel to follow them out. He was shocked to see Loren waiting outside with a quarter of guards.

"Can I help you, Loren?" Lobo asked, shoulders tense as he eyed the guards.

"Just had a last minute addition to the flair." Loren snapped his fingers at a guard holding a pair of thick, rusty iron manacles. "Bind her."

Lobo held his tongue as Hel's taped hands were bound by the unfamiliar guard with the angry scar twisting up the left corner of his mouth. He had seen, even if he still found it incredible, just how strong the woman was and that it would be no trouble for her to free herself.

"They're going to walk her out and then leave her in the circle with the irons on. The crowd'll eat it up."

The former grand champion grunted and gestured for his fellow gladiators to follow his lead. All three sauntered past at a quick pace after being held up by Loren. They passed two other Lounges on their way to the Blue court and from each came the sounds of warming up with pads, faint sobbing, and retching as prospects made the leap to the amateur rankings. Lobo turned once to see if the depressive atmosphere was affecting Hel but the woman's eyes were absolutely glacial.

_Maybe she does have a chance._

They passed through a tunnel that had been built where they had closed off an exit to the street and soon to a door where the Mayor of Elkview was just exiting. Mayor Buckley was a man of average height and excessive girth. Oddly enough, his arms and legs were disturbingly slender beneath the full-length bearskin coat he wore all the time except on the hottest days of summer. His hair, salt-and-pepper with age, was slicked back in an attempt to copy a style many of the newest generation of Charleston's elite favored. His guards, trying their best to be menacing despite the fact that the tallest barely reached Hel's height, formed a loose barrier around their Mayor. Lobo resisted the urge to snort as Buckley's pig eyes narrowed and his jowls shook with barely contained mirth.

"Loren, my boy! Is your dear mother once again denying me her beauteous presence?!" Buckley spoke far too loudly to Lobo's annoyance. The man claimed it was from loss of hearing but the gladiator thought it was just to grate on other people's nerves. "Or does she not want to see her town lose another prospect?" Buckley looked over their group. "Am I missing something? Where is he?"

Loren stepped forward with a teeth-grinding grin and placed his hand on Hel's rock steady shoulder, "Here."

Buckley's eyes widened comically before he succumbed to a bout of powerful laughter. "Oh, I can't wait for the day when you take over for your mother, Loren. Join me in my viewing booth, would you? I have a bottle of pre-War whiskey that I'll happily put up as a side bet."

"Titan, take care of our girl here while I fleece my good friend." Loren snapped his fingers for his guards to follow him as he walked away with Mayor.

Once they were out of earshot, Mei spit to the side, "That fuck forgot all about his 'grand presentation', didn't he?"

"Yes."

Lobo continued to make their way to a door that was marked 'far' and entered a narrow corridor. They were nearly at the end when they came to the exit door that would lead them straight to the entrance to the Circle of Flesh. A small bench had been bolted to the wall in front of the door and Mei promptly flopped down into it. The corridor was dimly lit by scattered electric bulbs that somehow made any shadow seem that much darker. Hel practically glowed in the dimness while Mei blended in with startling ease. The noise of the crowd was muted by the door but a PA speaker above the doorway suddenly squawked to life.

"Today, the Blue court would like to put on a special exhibition grudge match between the bitter rivals of Nitro and Elkview! Three-on-one! Three of Elkview's Dog-Men versus one newly minted gladiator of Nitro! This is a grudge match to the death, ladies and gentlemen! Prepare yourselves for blood; for carnage; for _death_!"

Before Lobo realized it, he was rocking his torso from side-to-side and shrugging his shoulders as though he were the one about to fight in the Circle. It took several deep breaths before he could still himself and reduce his heartrate. Mei seemed just as full of jitters as he was but Hel's face was a granite facade. There was no telling what was going on beneath the surface.

"This isn't for the Mayor or money or freedom." Lobo began as the Dog-Men were introduced, the words coming to him faster the more he spoke. "This is about choice. Among slaves, that is a precious thing, because we don't have much. Those three chose to do what they did. They could have made it quick and clean. They could have just knocked them out and claimed they thought they were dead. Instead, they enjoyed Wei, Tony, and Mikey's pain." Lobo circled around until he was staring down into Hel's eyes. She slowly looked up at him with those ice-cold eyes. "I don't care if you make it quick or you make it fast but you will obliterate them. Violently and without mercy. For them."

"For them." Hel's rough voice shook with that peculiar intensity that came over fighters that were restraining the urge to do violence they had been cultivating for untold hours.

"And their opponent comes to us from the blasted Capital Wastes. A figure shrouded in mystery, brought here in chains, feared by all that look upon them. Said to be birthed from the firepit of Lucifer himself! I give you... _Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelllllllllll _!"

The doors were pulled open to flood the tiny corridor with light. Lobo led the way, followed by Hel, and then Mei. A sea of people crowded the area around the Circle of Flesh fifteen feet down a raised walkway. Guards were stationed every five feet on either side to stop people from accosting the gladiators. The seating on the ground floor was subtly inclined so that the bleacher-style seating would allow just about everyone a view of the Circle. The official Circles were relatively simple affairs anyway. They were all elevated a foot above the floor and had a ditch dug around them that was at least ten feet deep that was full of sharp spikes and broken glass. The Blue circle was fairly large, maybe twenty-five feet across, and was composed of finely ground, dark brown dirt.

Just at the opposite edge of the Circle, the Dog-Men of Elkview waited in their signature blue shorts with the Elkhead embroidered above the crotch. Junior was the shortest of the three Iron Men and probably the weakest physically. The Elkhead stood out against the stark white skin of his neck as much as the red dog paw tattooed on his right pectoral. The Mauler was the largest, nearly as tall and heavy as Lobo, and definitely as dumb as his reputation said. Even now, he had a positively slack-jawed expression his face and his light blue eyes were glazed over as he pondered whatever idiots ponder. Dashing Dan, possibly the ugliest bastard to ever be birthed, had a shit-eating grin on his face as he watched Hel approach. The last time Lobo had seen that grin was when Dan had been ruthlessly stomping Wei in the gut even when the boy had stopped moving. How Lobo longed to rip the man's bulging shit-brown eyes from his head and ram them down his throat.

Lobo was so consumed with watching the three Dog-Men that he did not realize how quiet it was until someone's simpering laughter spread through the crowd. It was accompanied by boos, jeers, whistles and catcalls as the crowd finally realized that Hel was, in fact, a woman. With not inconsiderable effort, Lobo endured the crowd's reaction and led his charge to the slender bridge that crossed the ditch. Mei pulled Hel into a hug, of all things, and that set the crowd off even more. Lobo, for his part, settled for a first squeeze of her shoulder.

"For them."

Hel nodded and made her way across the bridge without even the slightest misstep. The crowd settled down into an unnatural silence as they finally realized that this was an actual fight. Even the announcer seemed a bit stunned as Lobo and Mei descended the walkway to a viewing booth reserved for Masters of Flesh and Steel to watch their charges battle for their very lives. A sick churning in Lobo's gut began and, to his never expressed disgust, it was the same whenever any of his boys fought. Such a thing had never happened when he was only responsible for himself.

"Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you are witnessing the first ever female gladiator in the Circle of Flesh! This is history in the making! Tragic history, I wager, but history nonetheless! Now! Raise the bridges!" Circle-servants, dirt-poor freemen and women, scurried to turn the cranks hidden beneath the walkway that raised and lowered the bridges. "To the death!"

"Did someone forget to untie you, whore?" Dashing Dan yelled despite the crowd barely murmuring from the sheer oddity before them.

"Why does everyone start in with that 'hore stuff right off?" Mei complained as she leaned against the waist-high safety barrier.

"Because they're not too bright and it's an easy insult against most women?"

"Fucking assholes."

"It's too bad you had to end up with that dipshit Mayor in Nitro with her fuck-up son!" Dan shook his head. "We could have used a piece of ass like you once you lost all that muscle! Jesus, how long did they shoot you up full of Buffout?" Dan's bushy eyebrows fell as his brow lowered in consternation. "I'm talkin' to you, bitch!" As Hel continued to run her eyes over the three Dog-Men, Dan lost his temper. "Fine! That's how ya wanna play it, cunt! Junior, break that bitches legs and finish her quick!"

"Fine but, if we get any pussy tonight, I want first crack!" Junior quickly jogged up to Hel but was brought up short when she raised her cuffed hands in front of her only inches from his face. "What are you gonna-"

Junior was cut off when Hel snapped the chain holding the manacles together as though she were breaking a spiderweb. With the grace of a dancer, Hel grabbed the shorter man by the throat and back of the neck, lifted him to the limit of her arms and spiked him down into the earth with so much force that the crunch of bone was audible even from their distance. His screams cut through the subconscious 'oohs' of the crowd and spurred The Mauler into action. Once again, Hel did that peculiar stepping straight counter that effectively blunted The Mauler's offense. The Mauler was so much taller than Hel that she was forced to aim the blow at his sternum and the effect was dramatic. Lobo knew of The Mauler and how many brutal fights he had survived so to see him clutch his chest and fall wheezing to the ground was as much a shock to him as anyone else despite knowing what Hel was capable of. Without breaking stride from the punch that took The Mauler out of commission, Hel faced off against a disbelieving Dan. Of all the things to try, why the man chose a push-kick to start with was beyond Lobo. The result, after having watched Hel train for weeks, was extremely predictable. In the space of two blinks, Hel had Dan entangle on the ground and she hyperextended his knee. Two good pushes with the leverage granted by their positions and the joint was forced into an unnatural position. Hel was not done as Dan cursed in pain and rage as he tried to push away with his good leg. That led, naturally, to his foot being mangled by what Hel called an ankle-lock.

Hel stood and patted Dan on the cheek as she made her way to where The Mauler was only just now rising to his feet while still clutching his chest. Still moving with that same deadly grace, Hel scooped all two hundred plus pounds of The Mauler across both shoulders. She took her hefty burden to the edge of the pit where Lobo was. Staring Nitro's Master of Flesh directly in the eye, Hel lifted The Mauler to full extension over her head before pressing up quickly to toss him into the pit. Lobo looked down as The Mauler was impaled in multiple places through the torso but, unfortunately for him, not his head so he had at least another few seconds of writhing in terrible pain before death claimed him.

Hel turned back to Junior, who was convulsing wildly from the earlier injury she had done him, and kicked him in the ribs to turn him onto his back. Hel stepped over him so that her legs framed his head, raised her hand over her head, fingers together in what she called 'knife-hand', and then they were darting down somewhere near his neck.

"No! No! No!" Junior's screamed turned into an inhuman cry that transformed into a gurgled scream as Hel dug inside his neck until she found purchase.

Hel sat back on her rear and placed her heels against Junior's shoulders. Her opposite hands fingers found places to dig into Junior's face, probably his eyes if the increase in the intensity of his wet screams was any indication, then she began to push and pull at the same time. Soon, the screaming stopped and Junior's body began flailing wildly as his head and spinal column were not-so-quickly dragged from its moorings. Blood and gore painted a lurid picture across most of Hel's lower half as she fully straightened her legs out with one final movement. Someone in the crowd, probably a first-timer to a Circle match, screamed shrilly before being silenced. Hel stood, fingers still encased in the head as though it were a bowling ball, and made her way over to the feebly struggling Dan.

An Iron Man with broken bones, let alone several, was something that few had ever seen in a Circle and to have a woman do it with such casual ease was a profoundly frightening thing. If circumstances had been different, Lobo might have sympathized with Dashing Dan as Hel dropped her gruesome prize, twisted his left arm behind his back in an awkward position so long and with such force that something gave way with startling suddenness, before repeating the procedure with the opposite arm. Horrifyingly, Dan remained conscious despite all four of his limbs flopping around as though they had suddenly become boneless. Hel rolled her remaining victim over, Lobo was convinced they were just that to the woman, and squatted on his chest. Words passed between them, Hel retrieved her Junior's head in both hands, raised the dripping thing above her head, and slammed it down into Dan's face. Not hard enough to instantly kill him because a fine mist of blood was sprayed as his body fought to live by clearing his increasingly blood-clogged cavities.

Lobo lost count of how many times Hel hit him with just enough force to inflict more pain but not kill him but, eventually, Dashing Dan's face was no longer recognizable as such and Hel stood to survey her handiwork. She reached down, grabbed the corpse by the neck, and hoisted it above her head at arms length with barely a quiver in her arm. Hel walked around the periphery of the Circle with both hands held high; detached head in one and mangled corpse in the other. When she came once again to Lobo and Mei, she dropped the bodies into the pit in front of them.

"For them." Hel said and then the crowd erupted into thunderous cheers that shook the very earth.

Feet were stamped, hands clapped, frantic kisses were exchanged, a chant of Hel's name began somewhere but the woman's gaze was directed upwards to where Lobo knew Loren and Buckley were watching.

"Where's the bridge so we can get my girl out of there!?" Lobo shouted to the Circle-servants and they quickly began lowering the bridge.

Hel stepped across, bloody footprints trailing behind her, and only then did the announcer find his voice.

"Your winner! _Hel!_"

Lobo slapped both hands on her shoulders when he met her on the walkway. Their eyes met and understanding passed between two warriors.

"Thank you."

Neither knew who had spoken the words first and, in the end, it never mattered.


	34. XXXIV

Lobo had found that, during his days as a competitor, he often valued quiet after matches while he came down from the heights of an adrenaline dump. Something in the woman's face told the Master of Flesh that Hel also valued such a thing. There was no such contemplation to be found in Mei's company though. The excitable woman would not stop gushing over Hel's performance. He had hoped, from her positively slack-jawed expression, that she would not react in such a manner and he had been wrong.

"I just can't believe it!" Mei exclaimed for the hundredth time as Lobo unwrapped Hel's crimson-stained hands. "I've never seen or even fuckin' 'erd of somethin' like that, Lobo! I knew she was strong but Jesus and Mary! She picked The Mauler up easy as you and you prolly got more'n'ah 'unned pounds on 'er! And did ya see tha way she ripped off that guy's 'ead? I've cut 'em off before but that was so... I dunno... intimate!"

Lobo chuckled lightly as Mei paused to finally take a breath, "I didn't know you knew the word intimate."

"Oh, fuck you, Lobo." Mei cuffed him on the back of the head for his flippancy.

Noise, loud conversation interspersed with laughter, interrupted their revelry. Within a minute, Loren entered the room with a broad grin on his face. Following behind him were three men and two women, all dressed in tailor-made fine leather and bearskin coats, that gasped comically as they caught sight of Hel. Lobo stood from his kneeling position and moved to dispose of the bloody wraps.

"There's my girl!" Loren gushed as he came forward with his arms outstretched as if to give her a hug. Taking in Hel's blood-covered form, the Mayor's son rethought his destination and settled for grabbing Mei in a one-armed hug. "Did you see that? Ripped his head clean off his body! I knew she was something special the first time I laid eyes on her."

"She does look the very image of one of those Capital savages the traders go on about." The shorter, blonde woman stage-whispered to her companion.

Her brunette companion, whose hair reached her backside from what Lobo could see, simpered, "She really does but I know Robert has a washwoman that they say is even more beautiful than his sister and she's from the same place."

Robert, at least he assumed the heavyset man with the handlebar mustache was the same man, made a rude noise but did not otherwise reply as he stepped closer. Lobo stood in front of Hel protectively as he knew well the kinds of games between influential people a potential champion could be drawn into.

"Stand aside, Lobo, unless you care to explain being rude to friends of my family." Loren ordered through gritted teeth as he looked up at the much larger man.

With a sidelong glance at Mei, Lobo slowly stepped aside to reveal Hel sitting on the bench with an impassive expression on her face. The victorious fighter kept her gaze forward as Loren and his guests flocked around her in the manner of carrion birds.

"Stand, Hel! My guests want a look." Loren commanded and Hel slowly rose to her feet.

All five of Loren's guests took a shocked step back as they fully realized just how imposing of a figure Hel truly was. Lobo was used to those looks being directed at him when he moved with purpose. He imagined it was the look a black bear received from a pack of wild dogs when it roved their territory. Robert was the only one of Loren's people that bettered Hel in height and, Lobo had no doubt, she could demolish the man in the space of a breath if it came to a fight. The youngest scions of Charleston high society were a far softer breed than even their eldest siblings, in Lobo's eyes. During his training, before becoming an amateur champion, the eldest son of the Mayor of Hurricane had come to test himself at the famed Refinery. He had soundly beaten Lobo in a sparring match and, the next day, trounced Onyx with the sword. They called him SteelHeart these days and he was Warden of the West; for the life of him, Lobo could not recall his name.

"God-damn!" The whipcord-thin man with the pencil-thin goatee exclaimed. "I knew she'd be big but... shit! What have you been feeding this one, Loren? Whole brahmin and Buffout?"

"Nothing like that, Paul." Loren chuckled. "She's a pretty sunflower, isn't she? All she needed was a little water, sun, and good earth."

"That's not funny, Loren!" Robert grimaced. "I thought that fat fuck was going to bite off his tongue when you told him how much you paid for her! We're all friends here! She's one of your science projects, isn't she? Is she one of those 'super' mutants we keep hearing rumors about?"

The brunette laughed gratingly and waved her hand at Robert. "Please spare us your ridiculous rumors about the Eastern Wastes, Robert." She stage-whispered to Loren as though Robert was not standing right beside her. "He went on for almost two hours the other day about DeathClaws, you know."

"Really, Hildie?" Loren shook his head at his friend's increasingly red face. "You still believe in that fairytale?"

"What I believe-" The hardest-looking of the bunch said as he gripped Hel's bloody shoulder with his bare hand and squeezed as if she were a ripe melon. "-is that she could be champion this year. Do you have any idea what you have here, Loren? You could increase Nitro's coffers and standing fivefold if you play this right."

"I would suggest you keep your mind off both our coffers and our standing, Daniel." All eyes turned to the doorway and to the Mayor of Nitro as she fluttered in. The woman was wearing sensible leather riding skirts and had a padded leather jacket atop them. Despite the decidedly masculine attire, it was easy to see how desirable her figure was. "If you would excuse us, I need a moment with my family."

The Mayor's daughter, Laura, appeared behind her. She was wearing a heavy woolen skirt, linen blouse, leather cloak and square-framed reading glasses to give her the air of a scholar; which was not far from the truth. She shared her mother's facial features, red hair and eyes, but her body was still boyishly thin despite being a 19-year old young woman. Unlike her mother, she could command respect and loyalty by simply radiating her inner light and it was on display as she flashed a shy smile at the three gladiators as her brother's friends shuffled out. One of the Mayor's guards shut the door and there were a few moments of tense silence before the Mayor broke it with a slow clap.

"Have you thanked Lobo yet, son?" The Mayor's voice was quiet but it was hard to tell which way she would turn. "Or even Hel? For saving our town's reputation and putting more than five thousand caps in your pocket?" Loren's eyes widened and his mouth gaped like a fish on hook. "You think I wouldn't hear about your little bet with Buckley the moment you made it? You really think your mother is some kind of fucking idiot, don't you?" The slap was something that was easy to read for Lobo and, he expected, his fellow fighters. Loren, despite having access to seasoned warriors, seemed wholly unprepared and reeled back with a comically affronted look. "Well, go ahead. Thank them. Show some manners in front of your idiot mother." Loren tried to hide the hate that he felt but Lobo doubted anyone in the room was fooled as he mumbled the words. "I've taken the five thousand you've won and put all but five hundred of it aside to purchase more prospects. Get out of here and go spend your night with your so-called friends but you had better be in your room when I come get you early tomorrow. We're having brunch with the Governor tomorrow and you _will_ be there."

"Yes, ma'am." Loren mumbled sullenly and, with one last hateful glance at Lobo, made his exit.

"Now the question is: what do I do with you, Hel?" Mayor O'Hara tapped a ruby fingernail to her lower lip. "Do you want to join the official championships?" Hel shook her head. "And why not?" After a short moment of silence, the Mayor looked to Lobo. "I thought she was speaking now?"

"My apologies, Mayor. She is still hard to get to open up. I believe she finds it distasteful to have to fight and kill people who have done her no wrong other than to be unlucky enough to be a slave." Lobo explained, chest tightening at the storm brewing across the Mayor's face.

"Does she know that I am well within my rights to use her as nothing more than a brood mare? That I can have her hobbled so that she has to be fed and watered and her only use in this world will be to be fucked until she can produce no more offspring. It will be worth it if I could even get _one_ child like her." The Mayor, in an act of casual bravery that always stunned Lobo to see, stepped closer until she was mere inches away from the much taller gladiator. "Do you understand that? You could be a prize pet or just a piece of meat to throw away. You only have to chose."

"Mother? May I?" Laura spoke up in a soft voice that somehow always managed to carry through whatever tense situation she found herself in. The Mayor stepped back and placed her hands on her hips. She nodded at her daughter impatiently as the youngest O'Hara stepped forward. "I think you're going about this the wrong way. From what you told me, she doesn't fear death. Maybe the chance at life might be enough. Does she know that, if you win a grand championship or are especially famous or infamous in the Circles, the Governor may grant you your freedom?"

Hel turned to Lobo, "Is this true?"

Lobo nodded. "I was granted my freedom after my first championship."

"I was granted mine when I lived." Mei swallowed after she spoke; probably from remembered pain.

"Why stay?" Hel's brow furrowed slightly in bewilderment.

"What else do we know?" Lobo answered for them both and Mei nodded in agreement.

"I can be free to go back if I become champion?" Hel asked, her voice full of disbelief.

"Yes." Laura answered.

"Then I will."

The Mayor laughed loudly and hugged her daughter tightly. "I wish you had been born before your brother! You would make such a wonderful Mayor and take The Program where it needs to go. Ah well, we can only hope for an unfortunate accident!" Lobo was disgusted by the casual way the Mayor hoped for the death of her own flesh-and-blood. "Let's go, honey. There's a nice boy from the Dunbar family that I think you would get along well with."

Laura gave Lobo a friendly slap on the back as she moved to hug Mei. "It's good to see you, Mei."

"You two, Stubby." Mei whispered back, knuckles whitening with the force of her hug.

Once the two left, Lobo turned to Hel as Mei looked at a piece of paper she removed from her back pocket. He looked her up and down several times before chuckling quietly.

"Champion, huh?" He asked.

"Yes."

"Are you ready for that?"

"Yes."

Lobo grinned, "You look ready."

* * *

Two weeks later, Nitro's Lounge was a far different place. All of Nitro's remaining gladiators of Flesh filled the room, several being administered to by medics on rolling medical cots, with a heady mixture of the smell of sweat and blood. Lobo stood by the viewing window as a match ended with a brutal elbow to the throat that obliterated the downed man's trachea. Patton raised his bloody mallets, called hands by normal people, into the air and screamed in victory as Lexus vainly rolled around on the mat while he struggled to breathe.

"Hmm." Mei scratched her cheek thoughtfully. "He's a tough one. Iron Man?"

"Bred with a Healer. That hematoma on his forehead shouldn't have disappeared overnight and those kicks to the legs should have had him limping around the first minute. I guess other towns are taking Nitro's example."

"Well, none of them have anyone to match you, Lobo!" Mei hugged one of his arms to her bosom and Lobo carefully kept his eyes on the Circle.

"I'm a failure in the Mayor's eyes, Mei. I have not found a woman, Iron Woman, Healer, or Zephyr that can carry my seed to term. Sometimes, I think that's the only reason she did not protest the Governor granting my freedom."

"Nitro!" The barker called from the doorway. "Hel is up, Center Court, near entrance!"

All eyes in the room turned to the far corner of the room and the figure which knelt with their back turned. Hel rose to her full height in a deliberate manner and rolled her imposingly muscled shoulders back. Her skin seemed to glow even in the well lit room as though the sunlight she bathed herself in had actually taken root inside her body. Thankfully, the Mayor had some respect for a fighter's dignity and had let Lobo acquire a wide, black breastband for Hel. The black chestwrap, along with her fighting shorts, provided a dynamic contrast with her skin that made her stand out all the more. Her hair was still done up in that short, spiky style but Lobo could live with that. The woman turned to him, dark eyes glistening in the light as they caught him in their gaze, and gave a single nod as she strode forward.

Mei and Lobo moved to flank her as the other gladiators stood to see her off.

"Victory." Each of them solemnly bowed their heads as they offered Hel the farewell a fellow gladiator was due.

'Life in Victory' was the unofficial creed of the gladiators. No one who wasn't an active fighter was tolerated using the words, even the Masters who had gained their freedom, and only freeborn upper-class citizens could freely use it without some form of retribution. It was amazing to witness how quickly Hel had gained the veterans respect. Once the woman decided on a course, there seemed to be no stopping her; both figuratively and literally. She was the only gladiator that was entirely unmarred from any of the six fights she had endured in the last two weeks. There had been several glancing blows landed and one fighter even managed to take her down with a tricky inside leg sweep but nothing substantial enough to mark her. Lobo, at the height of his prowess, had received at least a split lip by his third bout. It would have been an awe-inspiring feat except for one fact: another gladiator had managed to also do the impossible.

They were calling him Teng the Untouchable and, from what Lobo had seen, the man lived up to the title. There was nothing overly special about Teng. He was several inches shy of six feet, not overly muscled, and had an air of placidity that was alarmingly deceptive. Lobo had heard the rumors that the man was a Healer but he had yet to see any evidence of that. What Lobo did know was that Teng had to have some Zephyr in him because he was simply too fast, too accurate, and seemed to be able to react to his opponent's moves before they made them.

Teng fought in a style that was as alien as Hel's own. It was a ferocious, blindingly fast method that seemed to utilize the fists primarily with the legs only used to either trip or block kicks. Teng didn't seem particularly strong but the amount of attacks he could land in seconds was daunting. Lobo knew from hard experience that a fighter didn't have to be the strongest if they could land in the same vulnerable spot with unerring accuracy.

Lobo forced all of that from his mind as he led the way out of the Lounge and to the short corridor that branched off almost immediately into the narrow corridor where they would wait for the announcer to introduce them. Mei leaned against the wall where the door to the Circle floor was and Lobo went to her side to study Hel as she restlessly paced several short, bouncing steps before turning to repeat her action.

"What have you learned about Ares, Hel?"

"Fast on his feet. He likes to use footwork to set up a double power jab or a jab-low kick combination. The rest of his offense varies depending on how successful he is with that. If it begins to go against him on the feet, he charges forward and tries to make it a ground fight. Rudimentary knowledge of submission fighting; prefers landing ground strikes with his fists."

"Very good." Lobo nodded at her assessment. "His left eye is bad and his vision is impaired on that side. He also suffered a bad break to his left arm last year and I doubt if it's fully up to snuff."

The announcer's voice suddenly rose to a bloodthirsty bellow as he finished his introduction, "Prepare yourselves for... _Hel_!"

The door to the Circle floor rose slowly, as though it were a portcullis of ancient days, to provide greater anticipation. Hel, always subtly defying expectations, ducked beneath the rising barrier as soon as she could in order to walk briskly to the bridge that led to the Circle floor. This Circle's surface was coarse sand that had resulted in more than one fighter going blind from having it rubbed into their eyes. Lobo had fought uon it many times in his life and would never forget the feel of it beneath his feet.

By the time the door had risen enough for Lobo to duck underneath, Mei had immediately followed Hel out, the bridge to the Circle proper was being raised. Ares stood opposite Hel, studying her with blue eyes narrowed from extensive scarring, with his fists already raised into a guard position. Ares was an experienced, hardened Iron Man. The first sanctioned Iron Man that Hel had faced; her opponents thus far had been Healer's or Zephyr's or a combination thereof. Standing at 6'3", Ares was not as heavily muscled as some Iron Men but he did have the heavy bone structure that was typical. A stern, heavy brow and thick black beard were what had garnered him his fighting name from some upper-class Master of Flesh with a taste for classic literature. The other reason they had named him after a Greek god was that the man fought in a minimalist loincloth that never failed to elicit cheers from the women in attendance.

"Now... _fight_!" The announcer boomed in sadistic glee.

Ares came out swiftly but with a flying knee that caught Lobo completely off-guard. If he had been fighting the man, Lobo was sure he would have received that knee directly in the sternum. Hel dodged the blow as though she herself had Zephyr blood. When Ares landed, Hel stepped forward with a snap-kick to the liver. Ares spun with the blow and came around with a short hook. Hel took a short step back and, when the blow breezed past, she darted back in with that unbelievably powerful straight counter. This time she delivered it with her more powerful right and Ares stumbled back with rolling eyes.

Operating on pure instinct, Ares dove for Hel's legs in order to scoop the woman up and dump her on her head. Unfortunately for him, nearly before he had finished crouching to spring forward, Hel was propelling herself at him. A huge smile spread across Lobo's face as Hel didn't just land one knee but somehow lifted the other knee to strike Ares in the face before they both landed; Hel nimbly on her feet and Ares face first. Hel turned and half-squatted above Ares to land several punches to the side of his unresponsive head. She stood and looked up towards the third floor balcony reserved for the Governor and his cronies.

"Leniency!" The cry came from the crowd and, unsurprisingly, it sounded conspicuously female.

After several moments, during which the crowd's chants died to a quiet murmur, a white handkerchief slowly floated down from the balcony. It was the signal for leniency, meaning Ares would live to fight another day and Lobo breathed a sigh of relief. Sometime in the last few years, the sight of men dying in a Circle had lost any pleasure for him other than that reserved for his _own_ boys not being killed.

"Your winner and still undefeated... _Hel_!" The announcer screeched so loudly that Lobo suspected the experience had nearly been sexual for him.

"Jesus H., Lobo." Mei called as the bridges were lowered. "She might really do it in her first season! The crowd loves her."

Lobo noticed that Mei was right when the crowd immediately went back to cheering Hel's name. The pale-skinned fighter let the adulation bounce off her her as she stoically made her way back to them.

"Lobo!" The Master of Flesh rolled his eyes as Loren's voice interrupted his thoughts. "The Mayor wants to see you!"

"Mei, take her back, would you?" Mei nodded, eyes worried even after Lobo's reassuring pat on the shoulder.

It wouldn't do at all to let her know that his own stomach was churning with anxiety as he followed Loren through the crowd. The simpering fool, dressed in overly tight black leather pants and a ridiculously oversized fur coat, was flanked by a pair of guards as he led the way back into the corridors. It was a short trip to the interior elevator that would take them up to the partial third floor where the Governor and the Mayors watched the Circle matches. The elevator doors were flanked by burly guards in metal armor armed with imported shotguns and laser pistols as well as wickedly curved long knives. Lobo and the others were let through with barely a nod from the guard on the left despite the fact that his eyes never left Lobo.

The ascent was short and quiet. Lobo had never been one for small talk even with people he liked. A chime sounded and the doors opened to reveal another pair of guards with assault rifles trained on the elevator. Paranoia was one of the few constants in the ever-shifting political arenas that the elite of Charleston society moved in. After several seconds, during which Loren sighed dramatically, they were allowed through. Lobo's eyes automatically went to the insanely long banquet table laid out in the center of the High Court, as he had heard Loren refer to it, and he had to actively resist the urge to throw himself at it. His stomach rumbling uncomfortably, Lobo's eyes then went to the Governor seated on his high-backed recliner on a dais on the edge of this level. A dozen guards, hard-eyed bastards in metal armor, stood in almost statue-like stillness around the dias. The comfortable couches arrayed to either side of the dais for the Mayors were guarded by their own retinues.

Loren headed towards the Mayor of Nitro's suite along the far wall. Each of the Mayors had a suite where they could relax and refresh themselves in private from the terrible exertions of watching bloodsports and trying to further ingratiate themselves with the Governor. The Governor had a private chamber somewhere in the labyrinthine corridors that ran behind the walls of this level but not even the Mayors were allowed back there. Lobo had been up here many times in his life but this was one of the first where the arrogantly superior looks he was receiving from the sons and daughters of the Mayoral families actually bothered him.

The Titan of Nitro tried to calm himself as Loren swept past the pair of guards flanking the door and into a small anteroom with half a dozen chairs along the walls. Loren took a seat with a glare and gestured for Lobo to enter the opposing door. Lobo's eyebrows rose as neither guard made a move to join him when he opened the sturdy wooden door. He realized why as soon as he caught the first glimpse of the Mayor.

Mayor O'Hara sat in an ancient recliner in a fetching high-neck blue dress with a shining gold choker closing off the collar. He had to admit that the combination really suited her red hair and bright blue eyes. A few feet behind her was a decadently large bed whose sheets actually looked clean. Besides a wash basin, dress cabinet, and a large chest against the right wall, the room was empty with one large exception. A man, a little over six feet in height, dressed in grayish leather stood just to the side and behind the Mayor's seat. Brown eyes studied Lobo with the deadness of a doll's while the Titan tried to control his breathing as his heart-rate wildly spiked. The only weapon the man was armed with was a bone-handled curved knife that sat in a leather sheathe at his waist.

The people of Nitro called him Reaper McClintock but Lobo had always called him Little Panzer. His old master's son, the younger man had never had the size or any of the mutations that would let him follow his father in the Circles of Flesh. Then the younger McClintock had discovered a penchant for the blade, an ability to move unseen even in the most crowded environment, a hunter's eye, and a terrifying amorality that Lobo suspected had driven the incredibly honor-conscious Panzer to an early grave. Little Panzer was officially one of Mayor O'Hara's guards but the man was almost never at her side. It was a poorly kept secret that he was her hatchet-man and procurer of lost things; those lost things were primarily slaves. For all that, Lobo knew that the man had the skill and the lack of conscience to kill him on the spot if the Mayor ordered it.

Little Panzer winked at him with the square-jawed, hard-planed features of his old master when Lobo closed the door behind him. There were no chairs for him to sit in but he knew this was not always the case. She wanted to remind him of her authority and power over him so Lobo knew there was going to be some request she believed he might not be able to stomach.

Finally, she spoke, "Hel is doing quite well, isn't she?"

"Yes, Mayor; much better than I expected."

"What do you think her chances are when she faces Teng? Be honest with me." The Mayor began to idly drum her fingertips on her left armrest.

"Honestly," Lobo rubbed his chin in thought before speaking again, "I believe that she will defeat him. It may not be as easy as some of the other matches but she will do it."

Now Mayor O'Hara leaned forward slightly, "What makes you say that?"

"Teng is strong for his size, fast and tough but he is nowhere near as strong or as tough as Hel. Faster? Yes. That won't matter much if he can't land the combinations that he usually does and staying that long within Hel's grappling range is never a good thing. She can have him twisted into a ball of torn ligaments and shattered bones if she gets a solid grip once. Teng would have to depend on his ability to evade that as well as her hands, knees, shins, elbows... you get the idea. Teng may be a Healer but, as we've seen, Hel does not need long at all to put even the fastest Healer in the infirmary for days."

The Mayor nodded and sat back in her chair with a weary sigh, "The Governor is quite taken with Hel. He plans to grant her freedom if she does win and invite her to become a part of his High Guard. Somehow, it has gotten back to him that she used to be a mercenary of some renown in the Capital Wasteland. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Lobo shrugged, "Keaton was telling that to any and everyone in Nitro before he left."

The Mayor smiled thinly, "And my son has taken up the mantle of crowing Hel's skills in the Circle and beyond quite well." There were a few more moments of silence during which Little Panzer continued to give Lobo a thousand yard stare which the Titan did his best to return. "How would you like to earn twenty thousand caps, Lobo? Enough to start over in the Capital Wasteland or anywhere else you so desire."

The hair on the back of Lobo's neck stood up as he asked, "What would I have to do?"

"Nothing much. If Hel wins the championship, just invite her to have a drink with you as a newly freed woman. Get her nice and drunk, lead her into a back alley, and let Junior do the rest." Panzer McClintock Jr. nodded slightly with a broad smirk on his face.

"Why?" The question was phrased before Lobo could take it back.

"I suppose I owe you that much," Mayor O'Hara leaned forward with the most intense gaze Lobo had ever seen from her. "That woman, wherever she comes from, is exactly what my family has been trying to create for the last one hundred and fifty years. If you knew anything about genetics, recombination, or even just natural mutational algorithms, you would be as loathe to lose her as I am. If I could even get _one_ son out of her, I'd kill every gladiator at the Refinery myself," She paused to lean back in her chair and still her slightly shaky hands. "Imagine what I could do with an army like her. We could clear those slant-eyed savages in ten years. I could-" The Mayor narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "I've already said too much. You're either in or you're not, Lobo. Twenty thousand or nothing; either way, I won't lose Hel."

Lobo's heart wailed at him to snap the Mayor's pale neck and then do the same to Panzer Jr. for disgracing his father's memory. Mei's warm smile quelled his murderous intent and he took a steady, calming breath.

"I'll do it."


	35. XXXV

"Hey, Piernas," Lee's soft voice preceded his gently smiling face as Rachel slowly opened her eyes. "It's time for breakfast. Evie cooked it so put on your game face when you come down."

Relief flooded Rachel when she realized that it had all been a dream and she rose from her bunk with a happy smile. She was back in the Megaton sub-HQ and tears sprang to her eyes as her gaze wandered around the second floor. Soft, golden light filtered through the shuttered windows to give the space a homey feel. Lee smiled at her as he went down the stairs to the main area and Rachel had a moment to wonder why the man was wearing his ghillie suit if it was breakfast. She put it out of her mind, overjoyed with the fact that she was home again, and raced down to the dining table.

Everything slowed down as she was brought up short at the head of the table. Lee was taking his seat and nodded to Evie as the mechanic handed him a bowl of mush. The scene would have been perfectly normal except for a fist-sized, jagged hole in the middle of Evie's forehead. Turning with a macabre smile that spilled a river of blood from the inside of her mouth, Evie nodded to a horrified Rachel.

"It's about time you woke up, you lazy ass!" Evie teased her as she handed Lee the pitcher of water.

Lee reached forward to take it and drops of blood decorated the table. Dozens of entry wounds covered the from of his ghillie suit, staining the material dark, and oozing even as she watched. He turned to her when she did not immediately take a seat.

"What's wrong, Rach?" The scout asked with concern in those penetrating brown eyes.

"You're dead..." Rachel whispered, voice suddenly hoarse.

"No one's dead, Rachel. Sit down." Wolf's voice came from opposite Lee and Rachel mechanically turned her head in that direction to be greeted by the sight of a torrent of blood streaming from her beloved Wolf's slit throat. "We can't die until you come back and then we'll all go together."

"Hel!"

Rachel opened her eyes, quickly wiping away the wetness from her cheeks, and sat up from her pallet in the corner of the Lounge that she had staked out for herself. Oddly enough, she was not concerned if she had cried out in her sleep. After living with her fellow gladiators for so long, the Ranger knew that none of them, not even Lobo, was immune to nightmares. She looked up to see the Master of Flesh himself, who she found intimidating even with her shockingly increased strength, standing before her with a carefully neutral face.

"Follow me. The Governor wants to see you for himself before the match."

_Ah, that's why he looks like that. He's worried about something_, Rachel thought as she rose with a nod and followed the Titan of Nitro's broad back out of the Lounge.

The formerly verbose woman knew it was a warning sign of some form of psychological issue that she found it difficult to speak in whole sentences but, as with much of late, the Ranger could not have cared less. All that mattered to her was getting back to the Capital Wastes and her family. If they were all truly dead, then she had no doubt that she would soon join them by her own hand if necessary. The walk through the corridors should have chilled her since the championship fight was only minutes away and she was dressed in her fight attire. She had found that all the sunlight she seemingly soaked in during the day could actually warm her at night. Back at the Refinery, several of the brothers had commented how much she steamed during nighttime training sessions even without exerting herself that much.

_This could be the last time I speak to this man that gave me a chance at life and I know almost nothing about him._ Hel thought as they stopped to wait for the elevator while a pair of guards in metal armor stared through them.

"Tell me something, Lobo." She could tell that, like almost every instance where she initiated conversation, the sound of her voice startled him. "Why do you speak so much better than most of the other gladiators?"

"Master Panzer, the man who trained me, wanted to prepare me for life as a free man. He always said that, if I won my freedom, he could not have one of his proteges be thought an idiot."

The two lapsed into silence as the doors opened and they stepped inside the surprisingly roomy device.

"My name is Katya Rachel McAdams. Friends and family call me Rachel or Moon depending on how annoying they're trying to be."

"Moon?" Lobo asked, his mouth quirking in that way it did when he found something amusing.

"The skin," Rachel pointed to her face and Lobo nodded in understanding. "Arigatou, Lobo."

"What does that mean?"

"Thank you." Rachel looked up into his eyes with a piercing gaze. "Thank you for giving me this chance.

Lobo looked away, mouth turning downward in gruff displeasure," Thank me when you're free. Let's go."

The elevator doors opened up to reveal another pair of guards with assault rifles trained on the door. These bodyguards were, just like their counterparts on the lower level, outfitted in metal armor. The mental embers of mercenary in Rachel wondered at the expense maintaining so much equipment would accrue. After a brief perusal, she and Lobo were allowed to pass into the High Court. Rachel's eyes were drawn to the long table covered in food and drink even as she followed close behind Lobo. She noticed that the Mayor of Nitro, her son and daughter were dressed in fine cotton clothing as they stood before a man seated on a glorified throne atop a small dias. Rachel assumed this was the infamous Governor.

_Wow. He's fat._

The Governor, if Rachel's guess was correct, probably stood barely a few inches over five feet when standing and she suspected that the bulbous thing he called a belly made him seem even shorter. His head was clean-shaven and gleamed wetly in the light despite the relative coolness of the area. A thick coat, covered in what she suspected was actual fur, covered his chest except for a thin strip that revealed a chest nearly as hairy as the coat. Several medallions, one with the telltale sheen of actual platinum, rested in that slit of bare skin. Gold and platinum rings, some set with precious stones, rested on four fingers of each hand. His face, like his head, was as smooth as a baby's and made it hard for Rachel to guess just how old the man truly was. Eyes, so narrow it was difficult to tell if they were blue or green, regarded the group with mirth born of power. She had seen the look often enough in her childhood to recognize it.

"Do you know who I am, gladiator?" The Governor asked, lips turned upward in a smirk that made her skin crawl.

"The Governor," was the answer that spilled past her lips in the monotone that had become something of a trademark of hers among these mountain people.

"Ah!" The man clapped his oversized hands together in pleasure as his smirk blossomed into a pleased grin. "There were rumors that you couldn't speak like a civilized person. It's a good thing that I don't listen to the flotsam spread by lesser men," The Governor turned his head slightly to fix a mocking smile on one of the foppish men on his left. "Do you know why I have summoned you here?"

"No."

"She's so direct, O'Hara! You should have told me that!"

The Mayor of Nitro bowed her head, "I apologize if it offends you, sir."

"Offend me?" The Governor's laughter boomed from him like an exploding pipe bomb. "On the contrary, it's so refreshing. Too many people simper and preen and go on and on as if that could court favor moreso than accomplishment. Morrisey!" The Governor barked and one of the armored guards stepped forward. "I bet this Capital wench lets her actions speak louder than her words. You could learn a thing or two from this one, I'd bet my life on it. Hel, tell me, how many men did you kill before you were captured."

"Over thirty humans, confirmed. Three ghouls. Over twenty feral ghouls. Over ten super mutants, confirmed."

"Why do you say 'confirmed'?" The Governor's brow furrowed as though she was playing a joke.

"I worked with others. Sometimes, it's hard to tell who landed the killing blow, especially with super mutants. Those that were confirmed, I know I killed."

"And these 'super mutants' actually exist? What are they like?"

"Taller than Lobo, more heavily muscled, thicker bones. Terrifying in close quarters; only slightly less at range. You can not mistake them for men especially with the greenish-yellow skin."

"See!" The Governor clapped again. "She didn't even take offense that I doubt her claims! She skipped right over that and got to the point! I heard they were hard to kill, Hel. Is this true?"

"I've seen them take entire magazines from an assault rifle to an unprotected torso and live. I also once saw someone hit one square in the forehead with a ten-millimeter pistol from twenty feet away and the round barely penetrated. Few have lived when caught in close quarters with them."

"Have you ever been caught in such a situation?"

"Yes."

"She's perfect! God, if Teng doesn't kill her outright, damn the rules. I'll give her Leniency and put her in my personal guard. Would you like that, Hel? To be a member of my guard? You would be on par with just about any upper-class citizen."

"If you grant my freedom, sir, I would go back to the Capital Wasteland. I have... unfinished business."

The Governor's smile disappeared in a flash and was replaced by a stern glare, "Do you know the honor I've done you in extending this offer? Teng was appropriately grateful. It is a sad day when a slant-eyed barbarian has more manners than good American stock."

_My father was a slant-eyed barbarian, you fuck._ The thought was certainly more like her old self but Rachel was quickly finding that she was still wading knee-deep through a viper-filled swamp.

"My apologies, sir. I am still unused to dealing with genteel folk. I would be happy to enter your service, if you would have me. My business can remain unfinished until such a time as you would graciously allow me to."

"Well said, Hel." The Governor's good humor was back and the grin returned to his face. "Fight well and with all your might, warrior. Make this a spectacle that Charleston will remember until the end of time!" He waved for the Mayor to come join him at the seats arrayed to either side of his "throne", "Come, good Mayor, return to your seat so we may watch the festivities!"

"We must stay until his back is to us," Lobo whispered to her before she had a chance to turn back to the elevator.

Thankfully, a pair of slaves quickly operated a locking mechanism, stuck two metal poles into slots, and rotated the entire upper half of the dias. Once the Governor had been turned and the Mayor and her family had joined the rest of the Mayors, Lobo gripped her gently by the bicep and led her back to the elevator. Once inside, he released her arm and settled back against the wall.

"I should have known he would offer Teng the same as you. He did the same with me during my second championship. I don't know how the Mayor talked him out of it. The Governor really wants you and Teng to put on a show."

"He won't let me leave Charleston, will he?"

Lobo sighed, "Put that out of your mind. There's only the fight in front of you. Win and then we'll revisit this."

Hel nodded at the sound advice and the rest of the ride down was spent in silence. They returned to Nitro's Lounge to find the entirety of the remaining gladiators standing behind a nervously pacing Mei.

"Finally! I thought the Governor executed ya!" Mei exclaimed, rushing forward to grip Lobo by the forearms. "I assume he offered her a position," Mei grimaced at Lobo's nod, "Nothing to be done about it now."

While the two talked, Rachel was approached by a solemn line of gladiators. Each of them shook her hand and quietly offered her the gladiator's creed. When it was Jervis' turn, his face still bruised mightily from the thrashing he had taken in a semifinal bout, the second oldest veteran at the Refinery had more to say.

"You've proven me wrong, Hel. You truly are a sister of Flesh. I never thanked you. I gave those three so much shit to try to toughen them up but they didn't deserve what they got. So thank you. Now go out there and show these soft cunts how a warrior lives or dies," Jervis slapped her opposing shoulder, "Life in victory."

"Hel! It's time!" The cry hit Hel with the force of the bell in her childhood village that had tolled whenever someone died. It had always filled her with a sense of foreboding. "Fight well!"

The gladiators of Flesh filed out before Nitro as an honorguard of sorts. It was with good reason as dozens of random spectators were allowed to watch the contenders walk to their entrance corridors. Apparently, while Rachel and the others were speaking, someone had let the halls fill with rabid, bloodthirsty fans. They cheered as soon as Lobo and Mei emerged. That sound morphed into something primal at Hel's appearance. The very walls seemed to throb in pain from the noise.

As always, Rachel sought that calm center that her old sensei had tried to coax her to find so long ago. Sometime during the long journey to this place, those lessons had seemed to snap into place. It could have had a lot to do with her despondency but what mattered was that the techniques served her well now. Breathing, heart-rate, adrenal function, she had nearly absolute control over them all. That was one of the biggest secrets that she had kept from even Lobo.

In no time, Lobo, Mei, and Rachel entered the 'deck' as Rachel had begun thinking of it. Jervis gave her one last nod before closing the door behind them. Hel paced and worked up a light sweat as was customary. This time though, Lobo and Mei had no last minute strategy reminders for her. The trio had rehashed the plan so many times that it would probably be second nature. They all knew that, with an opponent like Teng, adjustments would have to be made quickly in the Circle itself.

"She is the Queen of the Underworld! Tremble before _Hel_!"

Rachel ducked beneath the rising door and briskly made her way down the guard-lined path to the bridge. Hands reached past guards to slap her on the shoulder and voices shouted in orgiastic glee whenever they touched her flesh. It sickened her on a visceral level but she did not let that affect her composure. The slat of a bridge bounced beneath her as she made her way across it and then her bare feet were in the sand of the Circle.

"And now we will have words from our beloved Governor."

Rachel cast a glance up to the third level and at the Governor as he gazed out across the positively packed arena. It should have been a cool night but so many heaving bodies in such a relatively confined space had warmed the area a great deal. After the first three words, Rachel tuned the pompous Governor out and focused on the opponent that had never moved from his kneeling position on the opposite side of the Circle.

Teng the Untouchable seemed even less imposing now that she was standing across from him. He was about as tall as Lee and had the same musculature. It was his face, possessed of that rare quality of seeming either masculine or vaguely feminine, that lulled his opponents into underestimating him. Bare-chested, she could see an intricate tattoo of what appeared to be a pouncing tiger on his left pectoral, Rachel was reminded of the ugly truth of this place by the brand of what appeared to be a pinwheel on his right pectoral. She had been spared the ugly mark but the price had been pain as the Mayor had ordered her branded four times before accepting the fact that it would not take. Loose, gray homespun pants covered his legs but Rachel had heard rumors that there were tattoos of serpents winding their way up them. Of course, Mei had told her there were rumors that Rachel gained her strength by sleeping with men and stealing their essence before every match.

_I'll never be free_. The thought brought a surging tide of hatred for the Mayor and the Governor but, most of all, herself. _Focus, bitch. You'll never get back if you don't focus._

"Let this, the eighty-sixth Circle of Flesh championship, now be decided! Gladiators, _prepare yourselves_!"

Teng slowly rose from his kneeling position and regarded Rachel with calm, dark brown eyes. The native West Virginian ran both hands down his buzzcut head from back-to-front in what Rachel recognized as a focusing gesture. Then he slapped his left fist into the right's open palm and bowed at the waist. Formality, long thought abandoned, reasserted itself and Rachel's hands snapped into a similar position as she returned the favor.

"Fight!"

Rachel went forward with even strides until she was just outside of her own far range where she could land kicks to the leg. She put her hands up, right held defensively next to her head while her left was extended slightly before her, and began to circle Teng. For his part, the man had his hands behind his back and calmly watched her circle him until he was forced to turn to keep her in his line of sight. It was during one of these turns that Rachel darted in with a jab from her outstretched hand aimed at his right eye. He moved his head just slightly to avoid the hit but was unable to avoid the follow-up leg kick to the inside of his left thigh. The power in that kick threw Teng's leg out to the side at such an angle that his balance was lost. Rachel lunged forward and planted a straight right into the center of his chest. Teng the Untouchable had been touched and the hit propelled him halfway across the Circle.

The crowd went completely still for a moment before a cacophony of sound rolled over Rachel. She ignored it as Teng rose to his feet in one smooth motion. He took his left leg in both hands and twisted it with a vicious motion. As he stomped the injured leg, he spat out a thick wad of blood and mucus. Their eyes met for a moment and Rachel knew she had gained the man's respect. Teng inclined his head in a short bow before dashing towards her.

Rachel had become accustomed to sparring with Lee and knew that her reactions had only been sharpened during her time at The Refinery. So it was with some shock that she realized Teng was on an entirely different level as he was within striking range in the blink of an eye. Instinct had a straight right moving to intercept before conscious thought could catch up, the entire point of all the training she had undergone in her life, but it was a fruitless effort. Teng moved his head marginally, the blow missing him by no more than an inch, and pain was flared along her torso.

The impacts seemed inconsequential until seconds after they had landed. Hel's hands were nowhere near fast enough to block the blows and they walked a line up her torso towards her throat. So she came at him with a headbutt to the bridge of the nose that caught him completely off-guard. Blood shotgunned from his nose to cover his chin as he was driven back. Chest and abdomen throbbing from the pain, Rachel leaped forward to deliver a knee to the dazed Teng's chin.

White light flared behind her eyes as something hit the side of Rachel's head. The world spun crazily before she hit the sands with a jarring thud. Teng was on her in the blink of an eye and snaked his forearm beneath her chin to choke her into unconsciousness and death. She immediately placed both hands on the offended arm's wrist and easily pried it away from her. It was then that a voice, soft and insistent, froze her in place.

"We'll never be free."

* * *

Lobo winced as Hel hit the ground and Teng immediately pounced on her. He nodded as Hel pried his attempt at a chokehold away but frowned when she froze.

"Did we know that he knew how ta submission grapple?! C'mon, Hel!" Mei screamed from her position at his side in the Master's viewing pit.

"Don't stop, Hel! _Move!_"

As though Lobo's voice had shocked life back into her, Hel slipped from Teng's grasp and somehow managed to end up on top of him. Her left hand came down like a piston but Teng was too wily to be put away in such a manner. The Untouchable one managed to move his head just enough that the blow grazed his cheek. That graze opened up a huge gash in Teng's skin that gushed forth a strong flow of blood. That did not prevent Teng from wrapping his legs around Hel's neck in an attempt to choke the life from her.

"He's got her!" Mei shouted, slamming her hand against the stained wood of the safety barrier.

"Not yet." Lobo grunted and nodded when Hel easily rose to her feet.

It was obvious that she was going to try to plant Teng into the Circle floor and the man wisely recognized it. Teng released his hold and began to throw a blindingly fast series of blows as soon as his feet touched the sands. Hel returned in kind, as best she could, but it was obvious who the faster fighter was. Lobo could barely follow the motions of either fighter but what truly amazed him was that they were fighting in a pressure cooker no more than a few steps in either direction.

The stalemate ended when Hel managed to grab Teng around the back of the head and slashed the side of her elbow into his forehead. Teng stumbled backwards and Hel came forward with a looping right hook. Lobo was getting used to the speed of the action and was able to follow a bit as Teng sidestepped the blow. Several, rapid-fire punches found their way into Hel's ribcage before an overhand straight right slammed into her temple.

The gladiators broke apart then as both wobbled a bit from the damage they had done to each other. Evidence of Teng's rumored abilities as a Healer were on full display. His nose had stopped bleeding during the exchange and the gash on his cheek had healed to a thin line of puckered flesh that looked as though it was several weeks old. A hematoma was swelling on the side of his head where the elbow had struck but Lobo knew it would be shrinking quickly. Hel didn't look very bad except for the huge spot of red that was blossoming on the right side of her ribcage.

Teng wiped the crusted blood away from his partially healed cheek, spread his arms, and waved his hands for Hel to come to him. The look of shock on his face when Hel shifted her hands into a classic boxing stance and darted forward at nearly twice her normal speed brought a wide smile to Lobo's face. Before Teng could do more than try to circle to his left to buy himself more time, Hel was there and throwing a shot to the ribs that had Teng rocking back on his heels. Punches, coming so fast that Lobo swore they left afterimages, rained back at Hel but she took them on the nearly impenetrable defense of her forearms. Then she was landing even more body blows that lifted Teng into the air. She pushed off of him and whipped an uppercut to his chin that propelled Teng even higher. This time, she spun herself into a forward wheelkick that caught Teng directly in the side of the head.

Teng came down hard on his shoulder and rolled to a halt in a heap of twitching limbs.

"Holy _fuck!_" Mei shouted, grabbing Lobo's arms in her excitement.

Hel was in no condition to follow-up on her onslaught as whatever energy she had summoned for that feat of speed had been used up. She fell to one knee and coughed out a clot of dark blood. Teng rose unsteadily to his hands and knees before vomiting a viscous stream of bile and blood into the sands. Lobo could only imagine what internal damage Hel had inflicted on him but the man rose to his feet to meet Hel as she came to her own.

As though they were linked mind-to-mind, the two combatants moved to meet in the center of the Circle. As before, it seemed as though Teng was the faster and more accurate of the two but Hel did far more with the few shots she did manage to land. When they briefly separated, Hel's nose was spouting forth a torrent of blood while Teng's left eye had swollen to horrible proportions.

"That's a broken orbital," He told Mei. "That'll take awhile to heal; even for him!"

Before Teng could move back into punching range, Hel threw a left high kick that caught him just behind the ear. Unfortunately, she had caught him more with her foot than shin and that allowed Teng to catch her leg by the ankle before Hel could retract it. In the blink of an eye, Teng swept Hel's opposite leg out from under her and his hand was rising even as they fell together. Teng crouched over Hel, fingers curling so the knuckles were pointed like spikes, and bent his arm at the elbow. In a flash, his fist was pounding downward and impacted Hel's torso.

Lobo grimaced and gripped the edge of the safety barrier so hard that the wood cracked. A tremendous geyser of bright blood erupted from Hel's mouth after the blow landed. He could not hear her above the roar of the crowd but it looked like she had cried out in excruciating agony. Teeth gritted in pain and anger, Hel managed to twist those long, lithe legs around Teng's neck in a reversal of their earlier posture. Teng did not have the strength to pick Hel up as she had done to him and tried his best to escape the death triangle that he was trapped in. He kicked his legs to try to explode out of the embrace and even tried to hammerfist Hel in the head. That just prompted the pale warrior to grab him by the back of the head for more pressure.

After what seemed like an eternity, Teng finally fell into the stillness that only sudden, deep unconsciousness or death could bring.

"Your winner and _new_ Champion of Flesh... _Heeeeeeeelllllllll_!"

The crowd erupted into raucous cheers that shook the very building. There was a strong possibility that there would be a riot. It would not be the first in the history of the Circle. All of that was put from Lobo's mind as Hel crawled away from Teng's body on her hands and knees. She collapsed onto her stomach a few feet away and lay there. The bridges were being lowered but Lobo couldn't wait and kicked one down faster than it would normally go. He and Mei were at Hel's side seconds later. Lobo fell to his knees at her side and gently rolled the fallen warrior over.

Whatever damage had been done to Hel had been fatal. Lobo had heard enough men breathe their last to know when it was happening before his eyes. Hel's face was covered in the blood that was still leaking from her mouth as her eyes refused to focus on anything. She tried to speak but all that emerged was a plaintive gurgle.

"Shhhhh, Rachel," Lobo cradled her head to his chest as Mei squeezed her hand. "I've got you. You're free now. It's okay. It's okay."

One final, shuddering breath later, Lobo knew that she was gone.

* * *

Hours later, Lobo sat in the Lounge with Mei and a bottle of whiskey. It was a ritual they had at the end of every season of Flesh or Steel. They alone would sit by candlelight, share a bottle of liquor, and remember those that had fallen. The two had done this even before they became Master and Mistress in their own right.

"Tonight's the last night we have ta do this, Lobo." Mei said as she took a healthy swig before passing the bottle over the candle to him. "I don't know how I feel about that."

Lobo took a long drink and sighed as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve, "Relieved."

"Yeah-"

Whatever else she was going to say was interrupted by a booming knock on the door to the Lounge. Their eyes met and Mei moved to retrieve the slender backsword she had taken to secreting with her wherever she went. Lobo waited until Mei moved to hide herself behind the door before opening it to reveal the grinning face of Little Panzer. The man wore his field cloak, a misshapen thing that he claimed helped him blend into his surroundings, and had openly donned his longbow, quiver, as well as a wide-bladed shortsword. Lobo knew that it was his standard hunting garb but he was at a loss as to why he would come to the Master of Flesh wearing it.

"The Mayor wants you. Follow me." Little Panzer said and turned to go.

A pair of metal armored guards, wielding assault rifles, bore holes into Lobo with their eyes. Lobo gestured behind the door for Mei to stay behind and went to follow Little Panzer. The hunter of men led him through the maze of corridors and down into the basement where they prepared the bodies of fallen gladiators for transport. It was a frenzy of activity in the dark, defunct machinery filled tunnels. Guards were everywhere, filling the air with malice, as clerical staff ran in panic all over the place. Lobo had never seen the place like this before and wondered what could have gone wrong.

Finally, Little Panzer led him into the room where the morticians prepped the bodies for transport. It was a large room with blindingly white walls and a huge drain in the floor. Lobo had never understood why the room had to be white when the tiled floors were so often covered in blood. He was surprised to discover that the Governor was there as well and the man looked absolutely murderous as he turned to see Lobo.

"Did you know about this, Titan?!" He bellowed, gesturing at the spot where the large, circular drain had been ripped from its setting. "If you had a hand in this, I swear that you'll hang for it!"

"Calm yourself, Governor," Mayor O'Hara placed a hand on the bloated fool's arm to placate him. "I have known the Titan since he was a child and that look of surprise is not feigned. He really has no idea."

"If I may ask, Mayor, what did happen?" Lobo ventured, since he honestly had no idea what the fuss was about since nothing had been disturbed that he could see.

"Teng and Hel's bodies are both missing. Do you know of anyone besides Hel, yourself, and a handful of Iron Men that could possibly tear that grating off without any tools?" The Mayor asked and she shook her head at the understanding that dawned on Lobo's face. "Yes, we assume they somehow faked their deaths and escaped. The Mayor is understandably upset at this subterfuge."

"Upset is an understatement. I'm going to find them, flog them, burn them, and then hang their bodies in the square. No slave makes a fool of me! Captain Argyle! Take ten squads and find them!"

"Governor, we just sent ten squads to reinforce General SteelHeart. That would leave the city guard as the only means of defense, sir." The metal armored guard was only distinguishable thanks to the captain's bars across his left pauldron and helmet.

The Governor reached up and grabbed the captain by his metal collar. Captain Argyle was forced to hunch over so the Governor could bellow directly into his face, "I don't care! If they can't defend the city, then what use are they to me! Just find them and bring them to me! Alive if you can but I'll accept their corpses if you make it painful! Now go!"

The captain nodded and made a hasty departure as he bellowed for his own subordinates.

"You can go now, Lobo," Mayor O'Hara told him as she turned back to her attempts to calm the incensed Governor.

"Thank you, ma'am," Lobo made his way back into the dimly lit corridors and found the unwelcome company of Little Panzer waiting for him.

"I'm going to find her, you know. The Mayor wants her alive but she doesn't have to be in one piece. Did you get a taste of her when she was... underneath you, Lobo?" Lobo stopped and felt himself go still inside as he stared into Little Panzer's eyes. "Did I hit a nerve, Lobo? You want a piece of me, you big, stupid fuck? You're use to the Mayor is going to come to an end soon and I'm gonna be the one to end you. But first, I'm going to enjoy giving it to one of your little pets. And I'm gonna make it hurt, Lobo. Oh, it's gonna hurt."

Lobo grinned suddenly and chuckled, "Yeah. For you."

If the Governor or the Mayor could have seen his grin, they would have probably executed him on the spot but Lobo found that, as he walked back to Mei, his excitement would not be contained.

_Safe journey, Katya Rachel McAdams._

* * *

Rachel stumbled through the damp earth as she and Teng finally crested the top of a ridge that overlooked the river they had followed from Charleston. Teng had said he knew where to go but the man was even worse off than she was. They had been on the run for nearly twenty hours, by her best guess, and had only managed a few hours of sleep before moving once again. After soaking up several hours of sunlight, she knew that she could go for a bit longer but Teng needed food. Besides some wild mushrooms and the local variety of fruit-nut, Teng had eaten nothing since their escape.

The escaped Ranger had no idea how Teng had learned to control his biorhythms to that degree but she suspected that he may have truly been dead and the regenerative abilities of what the locals called Healers had brought him back. As for herself, the damage had been bad but not fatal. She had slowed her heart and rate of breathing far enough that everyone had been fooled. The hour that it had taken them to be alone had been an excruciating wait for Rachel but she had finally risen from her deathbed to slap Teng into consciousness.

_He still looks as though he can barely make it_, Rachel thought as they rested against the trunk of a tree bare almost to the crown.

Teng's face was discolored from the terrific thrashing Rachel had delivered and it was not healing at the rate wounds had during their fight. He had mentioned something about needing a lot of calories and raw protein to heal as he did but they both knew there was no time to procure that. Her own chest still hurt as though someone was pushing down on it whenever she took a deep breath. Despite that, Rachel knew from her days scouting with Lee, that they were both pushing far faster than normal people could have under the same conditions.

Unfortunately for them, their pursuers had access to mountain bikes and rowboats powered by teams of powerful slaves. That was why Teng had decided they needed to take the high ground and search for a pass into the next valley over that he remembered vaguely from his childhood. She didn't know if that would do them any good or not. They were both covered in filth from the sewers they had crawled through to escape _into_ the irradiated waters of the river with a name she had given up trying to pronounce after the third attempt. Lee had told her that, once a scent dog got a lock on your stink, it was nearly impossible to shake him unless you killed him or suddenly developed the ability to fly. Even running through shallow water very rarely ever worked for someone being tracked by dog.

Rachel's ears perked up as the sound of those damnable hounds came once again.

"C'mon. There's an old logging trail that we can follow just over there," Teng whispered throatily as he wheezed from his exertion.

"Come here," Rachel told him and promptly slung his left arm across her shoulders and helped him towards where he was now pointing. Suddenly, there was a loud, piercing whistle that sounded like the world's largest railway rifle. It seemed to fill the entire valley and the dogs howled in pain. "What was that?"

"I have no idea. I have never heard it before."

They were almost to the trail when the sound of torturous squealing metal reached them.

"Down." Rachel whispered and tucked herself into a dip in the land at the base of gnarled old tree.

_Please, just keep going._ The metal on metal sounds stopped, from what she could tell, a mere twenty feet from their position.

"How the fuck are we 'posed to sneak up on them run'ways with these squealin' fuckin' tires, Manigault!?" A voice, rough from shouting and smoking probably, shouted indignantly as something crashed through the skeletal underbrush.

"Shut yer goddamned mouth, Stichin! You're the one givin' us away! Only reason we're up here is 'cause I 'membered this old trail from when my daddy was a scout for the old Warden of tha South. Now shut the fuck up and head down ta the river. The rest of ya assholes too!"

"Why don't we go to that pass you were talkin' 'bout?"

"If they make it through that guardpost up there, then we ain't ever findin' them. Now stop asking fucking questions, ya dense fuck!"

A thousand scenarios ran through Rachel's mind as the party closed the distance. There were at least half a dozen of them. Teng was in no condition to fight but could she take on so many when she had no idea what kind of weapons they had. She brushed a strand of lank, black hair from in front of her eyes as she realized what she had to do. Reaching over to pat Teng reassuringly on the shoulder, she now knew that he was not a trained soldier or outdoors man, Rachel picked up a suitably heavy rock.

Raising her head to scan the area, Rachel selected a target and then stood. She hurled the rock in an overhand throw that sent it smashing into the face of the nearest soldier. These men were wearing sensible leather armor and no face protection so the projectile flattened his nose as well as breaking several facial bones. Rachel let loose her best imitation of Lee's war-cry as the man began to scream through his broken face.

The Ranger led the party away from Teng until the sun lowered enough to cast the entire valley into a dark gray pall. It was not full dark but it was close enough. Her skin was covered enough in mud to mask its natural alabaster luster and thus it made perfect sense for her to climb a tree. She clung to it as the band of soldiers turned slave hunters plodded through the woods after her. They were keeping to tight groups of three, there had been seven of them originally, but the groups were too tight and too close together.

Rachel didn't know if Teng had gotten a weapon or if one of the tribes of "slant-eyed barbarians" was raiding but the sporadic sounds of weaponsfire and even an explosion had spooked the men into bunching up and the Ranger was not going to let this opportunity go to waste. When the soldiers split around the tree, Rachel dropped down behind the only one with a decent 10mm pistol on his hip. She slipped it from his holster, grabbed him by the throat from behind, and fired three rounds into the backs of his two comrades. Both fell with barely a sound aside from harsh choking as they bled out into the dirt. Her hand was shaking and her reflexes shot after the last twenty hours of exertion; at least, that's what she blamed for missing the first three shots at the group twenty feet on the other side of the tree. One quick bastard managed to fire several rounds into his friend. Thankfully, the armor they wore beneath their leather was heavy enough to stop the rounds from penetrating front-to-back. Rachel's following shots found their marks and three more bodies hit the ground.

Two of the soldiers were still alive and clutching gut-shots as they howled in pain. Rachel, mercifully in her opinion, silenced them with bullets to the head after dropping her meat-shield. Then someone screamed in bitter agony from the direction she had left Teng. There were no thoughts of leaving him behind or of his usefulness to her when she took off at a run in that direction.

Rachel was halfway back by her estimation when the world turned upside down between one step and the next.

_A snare? I stepped in a fucking snare?!_

Thought fled when something small hit her in the center of her forehead. White starbursts went off inside her head and her vision swam as she slowly swung by the ankle. Combined with her low energy and state of fatigue, the blow was enough to almost leave Rachel completely senseless. She did retain enough awareness to see a lone man dragging a completely hog-tied Teng into view from behind a tree in front of her. He was dressed in finer leather than the soldiers and had a bow slung across his back. A sling, looking like a child's toy in his big hands, was idly twirled as he whistled a jaunty tune.

"I planted that along the most obvious path not really thinking you'd be dumb 'nough to step right into it the first time you heard this yellow bastard squeal but, well, here ya are." Hard brown eyes studied her as though she were a plaything he couldn't decide what to do with. "I hate to say but I was hoping for some sort of challenge from you. Lobo had everyone thinkin' you really were some kind of demon but you're just another dumb slave-bitch, aren't ya?" When Rachel didn't answer, the man grabbed her by the hair and yanked her forward until their lips were nearly touching. "You don't wanna talk to me? Think you're too good ta talk to me, hmm? We'll see about that, twit. I tol' the Mayor that I'd have you back to her, alive, in four days but I never said in one piece."

The slave hunter removed his pack and retrieved a hatchet from straps along the side. Several long, metallic sticks followed and, most ominous of all, Rachel recognized a boning knife when she saw one.

"See, I usually have to bring slaves back alive and you can't torture someone when yer trying to make their death look like an accident," His dirty hand tousled a mop of equally dirty, curly brown hair before the strange hunter sighed. "But, you see, the Reaper always tries to find the time to _enjoy_ his work. Ah, there we are." A pair of wickedly sharp looking shears were produced from the pack now.

Rachel closed her eyes and tried to tap the extra pool of energy she had discovered her body now possessed. Her efforts only exceeded in causing an intense stabbing pain in her lower back and the man to become enraged.

"You fuckin' look at a better when they're talkin' to you, bitch!" Again her hair was pulled and she could smell his breath on her face. "You open your eyes or I'm going to stick this metal rod into one of them." Rachel opened her eyes and spit in his face.

"Goddamnit! You'll pay for tha-"

The hunter was cut off when he collided with a figure in a hooded cloak much like his own. This hunter was fast but the mysterious stranger was even faster. A slim blade was pushed into this "Reaper's" chin, through the soft palette and into his brain before he could even fully turn. The hilt of another blade appeared above his heart as he fell and then another smaller knife was buried into his eye when he went to his knees. The mysterious stranger pushed the dying psychopath to the side and Rachel flinched from the eyes that seemed to glow with an otherworldly light from inside the hood.

Hands, surprisingly gentle, wiped away the grime surrounding her face before they pulled the hood back to reveal intimately familiar brown eyes.

"You are a sight for sore eyes, Piernas."

To her eternal embarrassment, Rachel chose that moment to faint.


	36. XXXVI

The first thing that Rachel became aware of was the rapid, rhythmic flare of pain in her abdomen; after that was the sense that she was not standing on her feet. When she slowly opened her eyes, the exhausted gladiator was greeted by the sight of a muddy long cloak that was barely an inch above the wearer's boot heel. Teng was on her left, face looking even worse in the growing light of day, struggling to keep up with the person carrying Rachel. Sounds slammed back into the escaped gladiator's world with the abruptness of a gunshot and they seemed primarily composed of the howls of dogs and men.

"_You are a sight for sore eyes, Piernas."_

Her eyes widened as memory flooded back to her but, before she could demand to be put down, her savior came to an abrupt halt, "You're not gonna make it, Teng."

Rachel was gently settled down onto her butt and could only stare up into Lee's smiling brown eyes as he looked down at her. He had probably known she had regained consciousness moments before she became aware of where she even was. There was something odd about her savior and, when she slowly stood up, she realized that Lee had grown a few inches in height. She was as much taller as she had ever been but Rachel had grown to a height of 6'1" during her captivity and that's how she knew that he had to be taller. His face also looked leaner and his eyes, always possessed of a rare intensity, now seemed nearly feral as he looked at her. In fact, she could swear that his eyes actually had a golden sheen in the dim light.

Then, as though no time had passed, Lee handed her a pristine 10mm pistol, "Money made this for you."

Rachel knew she had tried to come off as a cold-blooded killer when they had first met and some of that still lingered; it was the only conclusion she could reach as to why it embarrassed her when she burst into tears in front of Lee again. Even when Lee gently took her hand and wrapped it around the grip of the gun, which had an M&M logo stamped into it off all things, she was still sniffling.

"Then... Wolf?" Rachel tried to still her renewed tears of relief when Lee nodded.

"They're waiting for us," Lee removed the holster for the pistol from his left thigh and knelt to fit it around hers. "Have you been working out, Piernas? You're lookin' pretty buff."

The comment was so absurd, especially considering their circumstances, that Rachel couldn't help but to laugh through her tears, "Maybe a little. It takes hard work looking this good." She knew that there was no way anyone would think she looked remotely attractive covered in mud, blood, and bruises but Lee's smile made that irrelevant.

"Money modified the pistol to go full auto. There's a fire selector on the right side. Easy flip with the thumb. You've got two backup mags. Try not to go crazy. We're pretty far from resupply out here. Take this," Lee handed her a standard flare. "Get to the river, light it up, and throw it as far as you can. Your ride'll be there in minutes. Tell them not to wait for me and make for the ascension point."

"Where will you be?" That came from Teng after he had finally caught his breath and spit out a thick wad of bloody mucus.

Lee turned to the man with a feral grin, "Someone's got to keep those fuckin' slavers off our asses. You want my cloak, Piernas?"

"Teng needs it more," Rachel nodded at the man who, now that they had stopped running, had begun a round of violent shivering.

Lee returned her nod and swept off his cloak. Rather than wait for Teng to take it, Lee put it on the weakened man himself.

"I don't know how or why my Rachel has come to value you but I want you to know this. I just got her back and, if you get her killed, nothing in this world will save you from me. Not men, mutants or even God, comprende?"

"Yes," Teng nodded seriously, eyes locked with Lee's own.

Rachel, still on the crest of released tension, felt her heart swell at Lee's words.

_He really came for me. Hundreds of miles and he found me._

Suddenly, Rachel found herself bound in Lee's arms. Beneath the cloak, he was wearing modified Ranger battle armor; a lighter chestplate, shinguards and bracers over a blue-gray bodysuit of some kind. He was so warm and he smelled... strange but in a nice way. She also couldn't help but notice that he seemed bulkier than the last time she had seen him. Heavier but not just in fat or muscle; his very bones seemed more solid.

"I'm not losing you again. Now go," Lee ordered her and separated with a gentle push.

"Stay..." Rachel tried to tell him to stay safe but her words caught in her throat as Lee turned and sprinted back the way they had come. He was moving faster than any human Rachel had ever seen. The only person she had recalled moving so quickly was Alan back in Arefu. It was so odd that it took a moment for her to realize that, instead of his sniper rifle, Lee had some kind of flattened holder for what looked like throwing spears of all things.

"He's odd... and fast," Teng commented as the insulating properties of Lee's cloak helped him to stop shivering.

"Yes," Rachel couldn't help the goofy smile that blossomed on her face, "-he is. Let's move."

Unsurprisingly, at least to Rachel, the run to the riverbank was a cakewalk. Lee's ululating battle-cry echoed through the area several times, usually accompanied by either chilling screams or frenetic gun battles that were punctuated by the thunder of Lee's Telly. It seemed as though the hunters had become the hunted and Lee was so much more proficient at it that some would have called it unsporting. Rachel thought of it as justice and chuckled to herself whenever Lee's battle-cry sounded. Teng kept up better with the warmth of Lee's cloak helping him stave off the ravages of his calorie starved body.

The river, this far in the mountains, was still fairly wide and deep, which was why some could still ply a trade on it. This also led to the birth of river pirates which Charleston had needed a deterrent for. Thus, there were dams at chokepoints on the river and it was constantly patrolled by paddle-driven narrow boats. When Rachel lit the flare and threw it as high as she could over the river, she expected that her quad had managed to procure a Charleston patrol boat . It was only after that high-pitched whistle sounded again that the Ranger realized she was wrong.

Teng and Rachel had come down to the river at a point where a piece of land jutted out into it. They could actually see a number of boats in both directions ponderously turn their way after she threw the flare. There was a flash of reflected sunlight as something metallic cut through the water downstream. Rachel's jaw dropped as it smashed right through a twenty-foot patrol boat like kindling. The wooden vessel practically blew apart, men and boat fragments flying in all directions, as its assailant continued to slice through the water. A tremendous wake was thrown up behind this boat as raced towards them. It had to have been going at least forty miles per hour if Rachel guessed right. There was no way that the patrol boats could keep up with muscle power alone.

The loud whistle sounded again but this time they saw that the source was the boat and several thick pipes set on its sides that emitted what she assumed was steam. As it got closer, Rachel could see that the ship was at least forty feet long but not as wide as the patrol boats since it didn't need to accommodate teams of rowers. The cabin covered at least half of the deck and left equal quarters aft and foredeck. Something that definitely resembled a scaled up railway rifle with an actual seat was mounted on the sharply curved bow. A complicated assortment of machinery was mounted on top of the cabin. Perhaps the most peculiar thing about the boat was the off-gray metal that its hull was made of. This metal glittered as though it had tiny stars embedded in its surface. She had never come across its like in her travels but it did make for an impressive sight as the boat slowly slid to a stop half a dozen feet from them.

For more beautiful to Rachel's eyes was the person that stood on the aft section of the boat. It was definitely, unmistakably Wolf in her full battle armor. The quad leader took one look at Rachel and slammed down a lever that extended a metal bridge to the outcrop of rock. It took less than six strides to put Rachel into her lost love's arms. The two lost themselves in hugging and kissing for so long that only the intervention of a cackling voice over a P.A. speaker managed to cut through their reunion.

"Hey! I know it's been awhile but you guys can get it on later! We've got a shitload of bad guys comin'!" Evie's voice over the speaker made Rachel's knees go weak for a moment.

"You're all alive," She whispered into Wolf's mouth, "You're alive."

"So are you," Wolf replied just as softly, "Who's that?"

"A friend. I wouldn't have made it out without him," Wolf took a moment to study Teng before nodding as though he had passed some hidden assessment.

Wolf retracted the bridge and led them through an open hatch into a narrow room with three bunks built into the bulkheads on each side. A small kitchenette was set in an alcove just before the bridge. There was an open hatch in the floor in its own alcove opposite the kitchenette from which came a number of alarming sounds that included the occasional deep, metallic boom she associated with a huge piston. Wolf trotted up a trio of small steps and through another hatch onto the bridge.

A central chair was set up on a dias in front of a U-shaped steering yoke and flanked by two consoles. An innumerable number of levers and throttles rose from the floor and descended from the ceiling. A ladder was mounted to the bulkhead just to the left of the entryway that presumably led to the upper deck. Three seats, utilitarian in their hardness, graced the bulkhead to the right. Three more stations, with their own consoles and levers, were stationed around the central station. Rachel assumed that was the captain's chair.

When the chair slid back slightly from the console and rotated, tears came again to Rachel's eyes. Evelyn smirked out of one corner of her mouth as the other was currently clamped down on the edge of a thin cigar that reeked of that herb Wolf had long ago procured for her from a southern trader. The diminutive Ranger was dressed in a padded jumpsuit and a thick leather vest covered in pouches. She placed her cigar in a holder on the arm of her chair, stood, and bounded down the two high steps to grab Rachel around the waist in a strong hug.

"God, I missed you," Evie mumbled and looked up at Rachel with a bright smile that lit her right eye with that perpetual cheeriness that the older Ranger had found so annoying at first.

_Her eye! Her fucking eye!_ Rachel wailed inside her head and did her best to keep the expression off her face.

The left side of Evie's face was partially covered by a cap of that same peculiar metal which the boat was made from. It extended just a few centimeters into a hairline which had obviously been shaved at some point because Evie's formerly lush, chocolate hair was now only slightly longer than Lee's. Where her left eye had been was a mechanical aperture that, even as Rachel looked into it, contracted just like a real iris. A thin piece of metal even slid over it just as an eyelid would. Thin scars decorated that side of her face and neck in addition to the mechanical wonder that Evie had somehow found to replace her eye.

"Oh, Evie. I'm so sorry," Rachel sobbed and hugged her a little tighter but carefully so as not to break her.

"Oh, stop that. It's just an eye and I made a replacement. There's no replacing you. So shush," Evie's voice got soft but then hardened when she caught sight of Teng, "Who's that?"

"He helped save her, Money. I guess we're taking him with us for now," Wolf answered and barely caught Teng as the man practically passed out on his feet. "He's a Healer, isn't he?" Somehow, Rachel was not surprised that Wolf knew the term and simply nodded. "I'm going to get a nutrient drip into him."

"Wait! Where's Walker?" Evie asked as she stepped back into her chair and popped her cigar back into her mouth.

"He said that we shouldn't wait for him and that he'd meet us at the ascension point," Rachel told them.

Evie laughed and shook her head, "I knew you would say that. He just wanted a chance to blow off some steam, I bet. That fucking man, I swear."

The changes in little Evie, after so long apart, were startling. Gone was the timid girl that she had known and instead Rachel found a confident, take charge young woman that didn't hesitate to issue orders to her own quad leader.

"I'll pilot until Lee gets back so you're gonna have to man the tanks, Wolf," Evie spoke while rotating her chair back to the forward position.

"I'll go down right after I get an I.V. line in this one," Wolf half-carried Teng back to the bunkroom as Rachel stood there in a state of shock over how quickly her fortunes had turned.

"Hey, Moon! Get your ass in that chair in front of me but don't touch a fucking _thing_! You'll prolly blow all our asses up," Evie laughed and eased one of the throttles forward as Rachel moved to comply.

Just as Rachel figured out how to secure the restraints across her shoulders and hips, Evie executed a full 180-degree spin that would certainly have put her on her butt if she had been standing. The shorter, ever excitable Ranger let out a loud whoop as they turned into their own wake and she pushed the throttle forward. Rachel gripped her shoulder straps hard as the ship caught air and slammed back down into the water. The metallic boom picked up speed as the ship did and something hit her in the back of the head. She turned to find that Evie had put on a pair of huge, ancient-looking headphones and was pointing at her console. Rachel found a matching pair plugged into the console in front of her, put them on, and positioned the microphone above her mouth.

"_Good, now we can talk without screaming. We don't have time to go over everything your station does but that one stick on your right? It controls the aft and bow railway cannon. They've got cameras rigged to them but they're super shitty. The screen directly in front of you is preset to the rear cannon. Ammo readout is in the lower left corner. You can switch between them with that switch on the upper right of the screen. This line is open so just speak if you have something to say. You don't have to push a button or anything."_

"_Okay."_

"_Now let's show these fuckers what _The McAdams _can do!"_

Rachel immediately flushed, _"_The McAdams_?"_

"_Well, what else were we gonna name the ship that we built to come get you?"_

Rachel let the conversation lapse into, at least for her, an embarrassed silence as Evie guided the ship with deceptive ease. Despite being the gunner, Rachel found that she had very little to do. Besides the first time she fired the forward cannon at a boat, which she missed by a sad margin, she realized that the paddle boats poised almost no threat to them. It was only when they came close to where they had to slow to navigate where it seemed as though half a town had fallen into the river that they found themselves at the mercy of paddleboats waiting among the partially submerged homes and collapsed bridges.

The railway cannons proved remarkably lethal to both boats and crew when Rachel fired. It looked as though the cannons fired a burst of shrapnel at high speed that bored holes through hull and flesh alike. After the first four boats were blown to bits, Rachel also thought the whistle the cannon made was as much a deterrent, the remainder backed off. Once they came to an intact bridge, Rachel knew why immediately as a thunderous explosion to port rocked _The McAdams_.

"_Once we're past the bridge, we can ascend! Take those fuckers out!"_

Rachel could see her targets through the thick glass that covered the forward section of the bridge but she concentrated on the camera since it had a targeting reticule. There were four of them and each was armed with an unguided missile launcher that could only have been traded from the Capital Wastes. It was irrelevant since, wherever they had procured the heavy weapons, Rachel doubted the ship could take a direct hit. Just as she was about to pull the trigger, the furthest one to the right suddenly dropped as though his spine had turned to jelly. A figure, more akin to a shadow of a man than a man, raced across the bridge and, where he passed, men died. It wasn't more than thirty seconds before Lee stood alone on the bridge as he tied off a length of rope he had somehow gotten his hands on. Evie throttled down just a bit as they passed beneath the bridge and Lee calmly stepped from his perch.

"_Wolf, open the hydrogen tanks! Two-thirds maximum! Starting ascension protocol!"_

The boom of heavy-duty pistons sped up and increased to such a degree that the entire ship seemed to throb with the beat. Rachel craned her neck forward just in time to see Lee come swooping in like something out of a superhero comic, cape billowing out behind him, as he released his rope and glided onto the pitching forward section of the ship. With an otherworldly display of agility, Lee came to a stop with a trio of short hops instead of tumbling to a halt against the deck railing. He disappeared from sight as he descended into a deck hatch just beneath the viewport. It was then that Rachel became aware of something rapidly expanding above the _McAdams_. A wide expanse of material that definitely resembled whatever metal or alloy composed the ship itself but cloth-like in its behavior. It was expanding to gargantuan proportions as gas was injected into under what she could only assume was tremendous pressure.

Footsteps, quiet despite the metal floor, echoed behind her as Lee spoke, "I've got it, bonita. Wolf needs a little help. Turbine three doesn't wanna extend."

"Alright. You've got the wheel!" Evie told him.

Several seconds passed before Lee's voice came softly through her headset, _"How are you doing, Rach?"_

Rachel swallowed heavily and realized that her heart was racing. She wiped a hand across her head and it came away wet from sweat despite the fact that she suddenly felt a cold chill come over her.

_I'm having a panic attack? Now? What the fuck?_

"_I'll be okay,"_ She replied, willing her teeth not to chatter as she did so.

"_You're safe now. You can let go. We're here for you."_

"_Turbines to full extension in three... two... one!"_ Evie's declaration broke up their reverie.

"_Going to fifty percent, ninety degrees, all go,"_ Lee rattled off the shorthand as though he had recited it a thousand times.

A new sound intruded upon the pistons dominance. It started out as a low buzz that quickly built up to a continuous thrum as huge sprays of water began to erupt from the port and starboard sides of the foredeck. The thing above them seemed to have stopped expanding but only after encompassing the _McAdams_ in its shadow. They were riding high on the miniscule waves they encountered in the river... much too high.

"_Here we go!_" Lee exclaimed just as the ship crested one small wave and then refused to come back down.

There were few visual references from Rachel's position except the mountains on either side of them but she knew that they were floating into the sky. If Evie had built this flying boat, then the woman's genius had been greatly underestimated. Their rate of ascent was hard to judge but it seemed as though they were above the level of the mountaintops in mere minutes.

"_We're flying,"_ Rachel said, her voice monotone as she entirely forgot about her earlier panic attack.

"_Yes, we are,"_ Evie came back with that statement and a quick giggle.

"_We're _flying_!"_ The escaped gladiator practically screamed and that set off riotous laughter behind her.

A hand on her shoulder stilled her sudden rush to remove her restraints. She looked up once again into Lee's eyes and, faster than thought, she was in his arms again. Great, racking sobs shook both of their bodies as she released all the tension which had built up within her the last year of her life. Lee carefully rubbed her back, trying to be mindful of her injuries, as she cried on him. If it hadn't felt so good, being held by the scout, Rachel would have combusted from embarrassment.

"Shhhh, it's okay. I got you. You're safe. We're gonna go home now."

His words, rather than soothe her, caused Rachel to push back from him while still maintaining her grip on his shoulders. A seething rage built inside of her and she could practically see the Mayor, her son, and that fucking Governor in front of her.

"Not yet. There are people I need to tell goodnight."

* * *

Lobo stood in the anteroom, directly before the doors to the Governor's offices, and sighed at the reinforcement that had been done to them. It would not be enough to keep the abolitionist forces out or even delay them for long. It was a last, desperate chance for the Governor and whatever Mayors he had surrounded himself with to live. He shrugged, settling his suit of heavy metal armor at the shoulders, and turned to Mei. The swordswoman was dressed in light leather armor that would not do anything to stop a bullet. Thankfully, the firefights of the previous night seemed to have expended the majority of the ammunition that both the rebels and the loyalists had stockpiled.

The following day had seen the virtual stalemate be demolished by Lobo, Mei, and the force of gladiators they had been given command of. Mei's Circle of Steel fighters had been the most ferocious but even those from the Circle of Flesh had stepped up to offer their services. Lobo was sure the Governor and his Mayors had believed that they could seal off the lone skyscraper in downtown Charleston and wait for their reinforcements to arrive. There was only one entrance and it had been guarded by his elite guards armed with the best bladed weapons and armor money could buy.

It hadn't been enough when faced with over a hundred bloodthirsty gladiators. They had stormed the gate, killed the guards, and rampaged through the tower. Only the presence of the high-born abolitionists and their own forces, Lobo knew, had stopped the destruction from turning into a scene of rape and slaughter. Thankfully, it had, and Lobo had made it to the summit with an easier heart.

Mei wiped the blood from her backsword with part of a cloak from some unlucky guard, "So, are we gonna do this?"

Shen Dragonsoul shook his long, black braid off his shoulder and sighed as he adjusted his famous Chinese longsword, Fortune, at his hip. "It amazes me that you still retain that excitability after all these years, Mei."

"Well, some of us have ta go against the stern gladiator image, right?" Mei stuck her tongue out at him childishly.

"Enough," Modine, the leader of the entire abolitionist movement, stepped forward in leather armor like almost all the others wore and rapped a fist against the heavy wood of the door. "Do you think you can break through it, Lobo?"

Lobo nodded and, before he could speak, Laura O'Hara interrupted, " Just remember, we want to give them a chance to surrender!"

Modine's dark blue eyes narrowed at the young woman but he nodded, "No one attack until I give the order or you have to defend yourself. Clear?"

There were only five people besides Modine: Lobo, Mei, Shen, Laura and Modine's unnamed guard that was wearing metal armor just like Lobo's. Everyone nodded their agreement and Modine's guard handed Lobo a massive sledgehammer. Lobo hefted the top-heavy weapon and took a few practice swings before stepping back and sizing up the doors. Finally feeling ready, Lobo picked a spot, reared back and hit the doors as hard as he could. The lefthand door exploded inward in a shower of wood splinters and debris. Despite the right door not being the focus of the assault, it still had a positively massive crack running right across its middle.

Lobo was the first to enter the opulently decorated room and barely made it a dozen feet before he was stopped by the sight which greeted him.

"Hey! Why'd you stop?" Mei came to his side with her sword at the ready and stopped to stare open-mouthed. "Holy fuck!"

The entirety of their party entered the room and stopped at roughly the same point as Lobo. The room was darkened since the sun was starting to set and no one had lit any lanterns. There was still plenty of light to make out the fact that there was blood and bodies everywhere. The Mayor's main office was fairly large but even it seemed small with so many dead men and women littering it. From the looks and smell, a brief firefight had raged inside the room not long before they had made it to this floor. The various chairs and the chaise lounge had been torn up by bullets. Despite that, this was nothing that would have shaken Lobo.

It was the desk.

Stacked neatly on the oversized desk were the severed heads of the Governor, who has the centerpiece, and all of his Mayors. Each of them seemed to have mind-numbing terror etched on their faces. Flanking the Governor were the heads of Mayor O'Hara and her son. Upon finally realizing this fact, Laura broke down into anguished sobs and almost ran to the desk before Modine put a restraining hand on her arm.

Silhouetted in the doorway leading to the patio, was a familiar figure that Lobo didn't think he would ever forget. She was still covered in blood but looked far better than the last time he had seen her. Of course, the last time, he had thought she was dead.

"Hel?!" Mei shouted in a mixture of shock and joy. "I knew they couldn't kill you."

"Thank you. Both. For everything," Hel told them, one of her rare smiles gracing her face.

"Are you going back to find your family?" Lobo asked, forgetting to even ask if she had really climbed the treacherous exterior to launch an attack from the patio.

Now the smile turned into a full-blown grin, "Already found them."

With that said, much to Lobo's shock and horror, Hel calmly leaped over the stone railing and plunged to her death. Everyone stood rooted in shock, so much so that Laura was finally able to race to her mother's severed head and fall to her knees as she let loose keening wails of torment. When Rachel came back into view, perched on the deck of what looked like some kind of river boat, Lobo's awareness was entirely sucked back to the mysterious woman. The massive balloon-like object hanging above the ship probably had something to do with how it stayed aloft but Lobo would be damned if he knew.

_A flying machine. Who would have thought?_

"Hey, Walker! Let's go! They're no threat!"

Lobo turned as soft shuffling came from behind them. He turned and looked down slightly to find that a man wearing a long coat had apparently been behind them this entire time. In one hand, he clutched some kind of long-barreled sidearm and the other was filled with a peculiar handaxe. Hard brown eyes bore holes through each of the native West Virginians as he walked through them and then backed up towards the patio.

"Thank you for keeping our Rachel alive," the man said in a peculiar accent, "If you ever need any help, come find me in the Capital Wastes. They call me Walker."

With that said, the man turned and sprinted for the ship that was now floating nearly twenty feet away from the building. Lobo's jaw dropped as the man pushed off the railing and practically sailed through the air with his cloak flaring out behind him at the last minute. With frightening grace, Walker touched down on the deck barely five feet from Hel. Both waved goodbye as the ship started to float away and Lobo couldn't help but notice how they were holding hands.

"That is one _badass_ bitch," Mei muttered, probably in shock over the fact that Rachel's family had access to an actual flying machine.

Lobo's laughter boomed in the suddenly quiet office, "I couldn't have said it better myself, Mei."


	37. XXXVII

"Come on, you fuck! Don't you fuck with me!" The familiar voice, shrill as it viciously swore, brought a smile to Rachel's face before she fully regained consciousness. Loud hammer strikes, metal on metal, echoed through the cabin and was quickly followed by muted grunting, "Yes. Come on... you bitch!"

"Evie, are you screwin' the thing or are you fixing it?!" Wolf shouted to the raging mechanic. "Rach is still asleep!"

Rachel opened her eyes to find herself beneath a thick blanket in the top starboard bunk in the cabin. She raised her head just in time to see Evie haul herself up from the deck hatchway with a helping hand from Wolf. Evie wiped her hands absentmindedly on her filthy jumpsuit as Wolf folded hers beneath breasts barely contained by an off-white tanktop.

"Sorry, Wolf. I'm just mad at myself. I don't know if Nathan's equations were off or I built something wrong but the mechanical work output is only about forty percent of what we figured it would be. Just using the turbines or the cannons or even the props wouldn't have drained it so quickly but we were using them all for an extended period," Evie's face dropped and she rubbed the side of her face covered by the artificial eye in a subconscious gesture. "We'll be here a week. That's the fastest I can get the Compression Sphere fully charged without blowing all the pipes. Sorry."

Wolf pulled Evie into a gentle hug and patted her on the back, "You're the reason we got Rach back, Evie. If we had to be here a month, you'd still have not a thing to apologize for. So stop being a dumbass. I made you dinner. So eat and try to sleep. Do you need something to help?"

"No. It makes it harder to work. I'll just deal with it. Thanks for the grub. I'll go join Lee on watch while I eat," Evie grabbed a tiny bowl of stew and looked up at Rachel's bunk as she passed. Rachel repressed a shudder as the mechanical eye actually winked at her before Evie was out of sight.

"Yeah, she'll eat and then they'll probably find someplace to do it," Wolf shook her head as a smile lit her beautiful face. "Come on down, Rach. I'm going to examine you and then we'll see about filling your stomach."

Rachel, to her internal disgust, shyly pushed the guardrail into its slot in the bottom of the bunk before dropping lightly to the floor. She sat in the bunk that she had thought Teng had occupied when she had gone to bed but there was no sign of the Healer. Wolf retrieved a small, rolling cart from a compartment in the kitchenette that was stocked full of medical equipment and supplies. The quadleader pushed the cart just to the left of the bunk and a metal folding chair was placed directly in front of Rachel. Wolf sat in it and immediately put on a stethoscope.

"Where's Teng?" Rachel asked as Wolf listened to her heartbeat.

"Once he went through that nutrient bag, he thanked us for our help and took his leave. His people must live in one of the neighboring valleys. Take a deep breath and hold it until I tell you," Wolf instructed as she placed the cold instrument beneath Rachel's ragged shirt.

"How long did it take you guys to build all this?" She asked as Wolf took down notes on a clipboard attached to the cart. It looked like all of the medical records she had for Rachel were there. The woman was still obsessive about preparation and, for some reason, that warmed Rachel.

"The Wanderer came up with the schematics, the man really is as smart as they say, but every self-proclaimed mechanist and engineer he took it to said that it was impossible to build. But when little Evie woke up, she took one look at it and said that she'd have it built in three months," Wolf smiled as she gestured for Rachel to remove her shirt. It took a few seconds before Rachel could follow the command, during which she blushed furiously, but Wolf paid it no heed. "She not only did that but she helped Nathan design and build her cybernetic eye while customizing a bunch of weapons for us. Apparently, our little Evie was holding out on us just how fucking smart she really is."

"How long was she unconscious?" Rachel asked, her heart sinking as Wolf's words finally sunk in.

Wolf's smile fell and she patted Rachel's arm before wrapping a tape measure around her ribcage, "Four weeks. We had to perform surgery to remove all the shrapnel from her eye socket and she didn't wake up from the anesthesia right away. She's fine though. She's _fine_."

Rachel wiped at the tears flowing down her face angrily, "I can't stop crying."

"I know," Wolf sniffed and Rachel realized that Wolf was started to tear up.

_Get it together, bitch,_ Rachel scolded herself.

"What about Lee? I thought he was dead the last time I saw him."

Wolf closed her eyes and took a deep breath at whatever memories Rachel had dredged up, "He did die. Three times during those next two days. He had lost a lot of blood and his heart stopped beating. But that stubborn bastard," Wolf half-laughed, half-sobbed, "-just wouldn't die. He was different when he finally came through the worst of it. We were all so concerned with keeping him alive that we didn't notice until he was up and moving around."

"You mean how he's taller and bigger and smells so nice..."

_I really just said that!_

Wolf gave her a peculiar look before laughing, "Stand up, please. I don't know about his smell but he _did_ grow. But it wasn't just the growing. He was almost feral in the way he interacted with people. Our Lee was always intense but now it was like he could barely restrain his impulses. When he wanted to eat something, he'd eat it, even if it was on someone else's plate. When he wanted to sleep, you couldn't stop him, he'd go right there. If someone angered him, he'd fight them, thankfully with only his fists if it was someone he thought of as a friend."

Rachel had to actively fight to keep her attention on Wolf's words as the woman took measurements on her inner thighs. Her libido, suppressed for so long, seemed to be coming back in full force. There was something wrong with her, she knew, because that should not have been happening so soon after her release from a place where rape and other forms of sexual torture were an ever present concern.

"He's stronger and faster and tougher. I've seen him drop over twenty feet straight down without even a hitch in his step after. There's no way to be sure without invasive diagnostics but we think his bone density has increased by as much as thirty-three percent," Wolf shook her head as she took down more notes. "I don't know why anyone was surprised when he went off to look for you on his own."

"He didn't ask for help?" Rachel asked in bewilderment but then, when thinking about Lee's past before the Rangers, she quickly came to understand why he would do that.

"No, he just took off one night. Nathan assigned me to Alpha temporarily and we went after him. We found him a week and a half later in some dive in southern Maryland," Wolf chuckled quietly as she began gently probing the rapidly fading bruises along Rachel's torso. "The bar looked like a warzone. Both bouncers had been put through the windows and the bartender had a knife pinning his hand to the bar. We found Lee out back just as he was finishing with the leader of the gang that took you. That man's last moments on Earth were not pleasant."

"Good."

"After that, some of Lee's old personality came back. He apologized for running off like that and agreed to accept our help the rest of the way," Wolf stood and began feeling her way up Rachel's body. "So, while Evie was building the boat to distract her from everything, we went looking for you. It was only after we blew up Paradise Falls that we realized how useful that boat would really be in coming to get you. Honestly, I don't think Nathan ever actually thought we would need it."

"Wait, you _blew up_ The Falls?" Rachel's jaw dropped at the casual announcement.

"Yup. There's still some of the exterior walls left but it's mostly a crater. Chaining a bunch of mini-nukes together is loco, as Lee would say, but it got the job done."

"Eulogy?"

"A little pissant named Forty told us everything that he'd done to you. Lee paid him back in kind and planted him far enough away from the Falls so he could watch it go up. Bastard only lasted two days before he died in that cage," Wolf looked like she was ready to spit but resisted the urge. "The next few months were spent tweaking the _McAdams_ so she could make the journey. Honestly, it didn't take that long to find you 'Hel'."

Rachel frowned, "Please don't call me that."

Wolf stood on her toes and gave Rachel a gentle kiss on the side of the mouth, "Sorry. You can sit back down now." Once Rachel was settled, Wolf began taking more notes. She didn't speak again until she had compared the old notes with the new ones.

_They did all that for me and they didn't lose anyone doing it. They fucking blew up The Falls! The Regulators have been trying for thirty years and never came close and those five do it just because they took me from them. Oh... you've got to be kidding me!_

Rachel casually closed her legs as the thought of Lee and Wolf, covered in blood as they cut down all the people that had hurt her, started a pleasant throb in a place that had been dead for nearly a year.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened to _you_?" Wolf asked, her eyes narrowed as she leaned back in her seat.

Rachel looked away and mumbled, "What do you mean?"

"You've Awakened. Just like Lee. Just like me. I went to visit Vance just to be sure and he verified it for me and Lee. So, what happened?"

"You don't seem any different," Rachel tried to redirect the subject and was stopped when Wolf produced a sharp scalpel from the cart.

Before Rachel could utter a sound, Wolf was dragging the blade down left forearm to split her vein wide open. The rescued Ranger's eyes widened in wonder as the wound bled far too little before and, starting at the beginning of the slice, the wound closed itself. In less than ten seconds, it was as though Wolf had never cut herself.

"I always had some of the Healing magic about me but now... well, you saw," Wolf shrugged nonchalantly, "So, what happened?"

Once Rachel began to speak, she found it hard to stop as she became enraptured by Wolf's reactions. Her smiles, laughs, frowns, glares, and even the occasional tears as Rachel spoke of her experiences. She was so involved in recounting the tale that she didn't notice when Evie and Lee had joined them. It was only the soft sounds of Evie's sobs that alerted her to their presence. She looked towards the stern hatchway and saw the two embracing. Watching Evie, who had lost an eye, crying because of what Rachel had gone through, broke yet another careful dam Rachel had erected. She stood, sobs escaping her once again, grabbed Wolf's hand, and soon all four were openly embracing.

_Okay, this if the last time I'm going to cry like this for at least a day._

* * *

Rachel stood on the high-backed seat of the bow railway cannon, without a stitch of clothing on, and let the rays of the sun soothe and invigorate her as she pondered the last several days. Wolf had directed them to this small valley and only after they had been there for a day had she revealed that this was where her clan had lived before the slavers had burned them out. The small village was barely half a mile south of their current position and, after gentle prodding by all three of them, Wolf had led them to it. There had been more tears and consoling embraces as she had shown them around the charred ruins.

The pale Ranger ignored the tears that threatened as she recalled how Wolf had collapsed when they had come to an unremarkable little house on the outskirts of town. It had not taken much to infer that it was Wolf's former home. Rachel had carried Wolf back to their hideaway and put her in a bunk. Wolf's mood had been solemn since but it was improving the longer they were away from the site of her old life.

The _McAdams_ was resting in a shallow lake surrounded on three sides by fairly high cliffs and the one bank it had was pretty steep itself. It was fed by a waterfall and drained by an underground river according to Wolf. There was no way anyone would suspect there being a boat here so they were fairly confident that any retaliation from surviving Mayoral families was minimal. That didn't mean that independent slavers and rival clans couldn't happen across them. Lee had set up a wide net of flare traps around there hideaway. In addition, the Rangers had taken to patrolling in pairs. Lee and Evie had the night watch while Rachel and Wolf had the day's. Rachel and Lee had discovered that they both operated better during opposing shifts for obvious reasons. She gained strength from the sun and he had become a nocturnal hunter.

That had been one of the most surprising things about the changes in Lee. The man, once rightfully wary of traveling at night in the Wastes, did so with amazing ease now. It was, if Rachel was honest with herself, intimidating how utterly fearless he seemed these days. He had always had that subtle air about him but now it was on display for the world.

Another thing that had surprised Rachel, though she had no idea why it would, was how easily Wolf and Evie shared Lee. Wolf had admitted that, after Rachel had slept that first night away in her bunk, she and Lee had worked off their nervous energy out in the open on the bow in full sight of Evelyn as she piloted. They had placed a tent out with a larger bedroll on the aft deck so that the pairs could sleep together. During their watches, Rachel had blushed at how vocal Lee and Evie were despite their best efforts to maintain sound discipline. Why hearing them caused such a reaction was another mystery. She and Wolf had done little more than share the occasional kiss and cuddle against each other in the chill night air despite the fact that Rachel felt as though she would explode from the amount of sexual energy inside her.

_Why am I resisting it still? Did I not learn anything?_ She thought for the hundredth time but sighed because she knew the exact reasons.

The newly freed Ranger was ashamed at having such a reaction so soon after being released from her captivity. She was afraid of what they would think of her or what her strength could do to them. It always came back to fear with her and that was enough for her to let out a small scream of frustration.

"Is something wrong, Piernas?"

Rachel turned and her heart picked up speed as she caught sight of Lee. He was naked from the waist up and wore a pair of fairly clean gray-green camo pants. The tiny scars from the bullets he had taken that night so long ago were barely visible on his chestnut brown skin but something about the sight of them dried Rachel's mouth. She licked her lips slowly as her gaze rose to his eyes. The light hit them just so and they seemed to emit that eerie glow as he looked at her.

Then the wind shifted and a smell unlike any she had ever encountered hit her. Heat, almost overwhelming in its intensity, exploded outward from her center and a great deal of it concentrated in her pussy. A throb, the most intense yet, started and Rachel could feel moisture beginning to escape her.

_What the fuck is happening to me?_

The wind shifted again and Lee closed his eyes as he raised his nose. She could see his nostrils flare and a positively feral grin grew. It was at that moment that Rachel realized how _sharp_ most of his teeth looked. A small trill of fear went through her and, to her shame, it made her even wetter.

_What the _fuck_? _She had time to think before her feet were carrying her over the side of the bow and into the shallow water.

The _McAdams_ was anchored fifteen feet from shore and the water here was barely three feet deep. Rachel bunched her legs, muscles coiling beneath her pale flesh, and propelled herself out of the water and to shore with one leap. She dodged to the right around a sap-covered tree just as a blur smacked into it hard enough to shake the entire thing. Rachel looked back as she took off at a sprint up an animal trail that led up the steep embankment and met Lee's too wide eyes as he grinned at her.

There was no way in Hell that Rachel was going to beat Lee in a flat-out sprint, even before he had Awakened, and they both knew it. She was not the same though and she proved it when she led them to a high granite wall. It was probably fifteen feet high and stretched for a hundred. Rachel slowed almost to a stop before pushing off in a powerful leap that carried her in a high arc to the top of the wall. She looked back with a laugh as Lee stopped at the bottom of the wall with an actual roar of frustration. Then the feral man charged at a tree some distance away and actually managed to run up it for nearly ten feet before pushing off.

_Oh, he's gonna make that,_ Rachel had time to think before her feet were carrying her away as fast as she could accelerate.

How she could hear the sounds of his pursuit over the beating of heart was beyond Rachel but it was so. In fact, the sounds of the pursuit only increased her arousal, much to her chagrin. She had no idea why she was running from him but she had to admit that it felt good to really let go. There was no need to hide who she was or what she could do as Lee chased her through the valley. For once in her life, Rachel could be herself.

The pale Ranger let loose a loud whoop as she jumped a twenty-foot wide ravine. Close behind her, Lee shouted his own joy as he followed her example. In a flat space like this, Lee could accomplish the leap through sheer speed in lieu of Rachel's strength. Actually, that fact probably helped him gain even more on her. He was almost on her when she reached the destination she had been subconsciously leading them to ever since they had begun the chase. With a scream of exhilaration, Rachel hurled herself off a fifteen-foot high bluff. She streamlined herself as best she could moments before hitting the pool of water at the bottom. It was barely ten feet deep and she hit the bottom feet first but not hard enough to do any damage. She broke the surface just as Lee hit the water. Rachel grinned in satisfaction at driving him to such a state.

Rachel was nearly to shore when a strong hand wrapped around her ankle and dragged her backwards through the water. She was wading at this point and was certainly strong enough to just keep going but she let Lee drag her back into his arms. Not a word was spoken as he kissed her with a hungry growl. Her legs were around his waist and his hands were on her ass soon after. She returned the kiss with equal fervor, her bites none too gentle, as he squeezed her rear hard enough to leave bruises. Lee carried her out of the water and to a place beneath a hollowed out part of the bank. He placed her, almost threw her really, onto the soft dirt and unbuttoned his pants. Rachel made her move when he was stepping out of them.

The triumphant Ranger hooked a hand around his right ankle and yanked forward. With another growl, this one of frustration probably, Lee hit the ground on his back. Before he could move, Rachel was mounting him and restraining his arms above his head. She bent down to bite him on the lower lip hard enough to draw blood.

"You're bleeding," She drawled and then, to her own bewilderment, she leaned forward to lick the droplets from his lip.

"So are you," Lee spoke, his voice deeper than normal as he nodded to her shoulder.

Rachel glanced at her shoulder out of the corner of her eye. It was true. An obvious bite mark on her left shoulder was even now slowly oozing blood. She looked down at Lee and the man had the nerve to grin unrepentantly at her.

"I'm much stronger than you," she told him, squeezing his wrists harder to emphasize her point.

"Yes, you are," she felt his manhood pulse beneath her at the admission as though it only aroused him further.

"I could break you."

"Yes, you could," Rachel was getting lost in his eyes and only the subtle upward thrust of his pelvis broke the spell he was subconsciously weaving.

"You're not afraid?"

Lee actually went very still as he thought before replying, "No. Why would I be? I love you. I'd die for you. I _have_ died for you. I'll never be afraid of you. Ever."

Even as she reached between their bodies to guide him inside her, Rachel was ashamed to feel hot tears squeezing themselves from her eyes. All thoughts of shame or embarrassment fled once she was fully seated on his cock though; if there had been, she would have felt both at how slick she was. She could feel her wetness coating both his abdomen and her thighs. It was so hot and only growing hotter as she moved atop him savagely. Steam rose from them both as the water they were covered in evaporated to leave them coated in a thin layer of dried mud. There was no speaking as the two moved together. They both had regressed to primitive state where all that mattered was the act. Grunts, moans, and the occasional sharp cry of pleasure echoed throughout the isolated glade they found themselves in but no words were needed.

Rachel had always been highly orgasmic and had always enjoyed that fact but this was a new experience for her. Usually, after a minute or two, she would have had her first but she had been lewdly moving atop him for what seemed an eternity. It felt wonderful but there had been no stars yet; no explosion of creation. She could feel something building inside of her though; something that frightened her a little, to be honest.

_Will it hurt him?_

Lee pushed himself up so that he could wrap one arm around Rachel's waist while the other went across her back. Her legs somehow wrapped around his waist in a display of flexibility she would never have ascribed to herself and then she was bouncing in his lap.

"It's okay, Katya. I got you. Let go. For me."

There was a sensation of heat, as though a miniature sun had just ignited inside of her, and Katya Rachel McAdams _screamed_.

* * *

"What the fuck was that?" Evie poked her head out of the tent that she and Lee shared as Wolf emerged from the cabin with a wide smile on her face.

"Rachel, I'm guessing and in three, two, one..." A stentorian bellow, like some pagan war-god, seemed to come from everywhere. "That would be Lee."

"Are you sure? That didn't sound like either one of them." Evie asked skeptically, stepping out of the tent and stretching in the cool, dawn air.

"You haven't noticed how weird they act around each other?" Wolf chuckled as Evie shook her head. "They both start sniffing the air like someone just baked a cake whenever they're in the same room. I'm thinking it's some kind of pheromone. Whatever it is, I think it finally sent them both over the edge. They're out there fucking like animals."

Evie jumped as the banshee shriek split the calm day once again.

"Animals? She sounds like she's getting the Devil fucked out of her!"

Wolf laughed and hugged Evie around the neck, "Or into her."

Evie rolled her eyes as Wolf waggled her eyebrows, "I can't believe that we've only had her back for a few days and the shitty jokes have already started back up."

"Don't act like you don't love it," Wolf grinned and blew a raspberry on Evie's cheek.

"Gross!" Evie exclaimed and wiped her cheek. "I'm going back to sleep. Lord knows that somebody has to get some instead of getting some."

"Now who's making the shitty jokes!" Wolf shouted as she made her way back to the bridge.

Evie graced her quadleader with a middle finger before flopping belly-down on the makeshift bed.

_Now nothing can tear us apart. Not a fucking thing._

The thought, as coarse as it was, gave Evie her first full night's sleep in half a year.


	38. XXXVIII

"Gawd, I missed this!" Wolf huskily groaned as Rachel slowly slid up her body only to flop onto her belly beside her panting lover.

"Me too," Rachel whispered, left hand supporting her head as she watched Wolf come down from her orgasm.

_I'm so fucking lucky to have her and Lee and Evie. I'll never lose them again, _she thought as Wolf opened her eyes and smiled languidly.

"Don't look so satisfied with yerself," Wolf mock scowled and slapped a hand on Rachel's taut ass.

The brief, stinging pain was enough to coax a throaty growl from Rachel as she fixed a smoldering gaze on the now grinning woman, "Don't start. We have to get up. You said you wanted to leave in the morning and the sun should be coming over the mountain in an hour or so."

Wolf groaned and pulled their blanket from its place beside their bedroll so that it left only a small portion of her head uncovered. Rachel laughed as Wolf began to emit cute little snores in what had to be record time.

_I have no one to blame but myself. I forgot how hard it was to get Wolf out of bed after waking her early with surprise morning sex._

Rachel rose, not bothering with dressing at all, and made her way onto the deck. The sounds of Evie tinkering from the bow were clearly audible and the portable lamp she used for working provided enough illumination for Rachel to see well enough to make her way into the bunkroom. She procured a washcloth and a rough bar of soap from the small storage space just to the left of the hatchway. A few seconds later found her on the foredeck. Evie had her railway rifle almost completely disassembled as she tinkered with its Compression Sphere. Rachel had no idea how the device worked or even what the genius mechanist was doing to it. The pale Ranger did know that a larger version of the mysterious sphere was what powered _The McAdams_ so its power, when added to the already fearsome weapon, was not something to scoff at.

"Hey, Evie. I'm gonna take a quick bath."

Evie turned to her with a smile, "Yeah, I just bet you're all sticky now."

Rachel shook her head and scowled, "Do you always have to listen in?"

"Well, excuse me," Evie scowled but then grinned slyly, "Hmmm, I don't think I was the one that ravished my watch-partner while eavedroppin'?"

"Did Lee tell you that?" Rachel stuck her tongue out and shook her head. "Don't even answer that. You'll just say something sarcastic. Were you always this saucy?"

"Maybe," Evie winked her artificial eye before she turned back to her work.

Rachel suppressed a shudder as she walked down the gangplank. She was getting used to Evie's mechanical eye but it continued to unnerve her. A quick soak in the icy waters of the lake was followed by languid soaping on the shore. There was something incredibly relaxing about bathing outdoors just before sunrise for her. It was as though she could feel herself opening up to embrace the day.

_I'm never telling Lee that. He'll be calling me sunflower in Spanish before I know it._

Quiet chuckles escaped Rachel as she walked until the water was chest-high before ducking under. She knew the water was cold, both Evie and Wolf had turned an odd shade of blue after only a few minutes, but the Ranger could barely feel it. She would have worried if not for the fact that Lee also barely seemed to notice the frosty nature of the water. With nothing to do for the next while, Rachel indulged herself by lazily floating on her back across the lake.

It was while Rachel drifted that the hellish red light of a flare-trap shot into the sky.

Training, despite an extended period of disuse, kicked in as Rachel immediately began swimming back to shore with powerful strokes. Barely fifteen seconds had passed but, with the eerie distortion caused by being underwater, the sounds of Evie working frantically in the engine room were clearly audible as Rachel neared the ship. She scooped up her bathing implements and bounded up the gangplank in one tremendous leap. Wolf was already standing in front of the quartet of armor lockers just to the left of the bridge entryway as she frantically donned her combat gear. Rachel patted her on the shoulder before going to her own locker.

It had been so long since she had worn real combat armor that, for a brief moment, the Ranger feared she had forgotten how to wear it. Those fears went unrealized as she found that, after slipping on her camo pants and T-shirt, the armor almost seemed to fit itself of its own accord. A strange sensation, a combination of quicksilver and electricity, ignited its way through her as she tightened her black headband.

"Any sign of Lee?" Wolf asked as she slapped a magazine into her SMG from the small alcove on the right side of the hatchway.

"Not yet," Rachel answered as she moved to her own weapons locker.

Each of the weapons that she had used prior to her abduction had been meticulously maintained and even modified in the, some would say illogical, hopes that she would need it one day. The assault rifle now had a scope attached to it as well as a barrel modified for greater accuracy and reduced recoil. There were even a number of precision-tooled silencers that Evie had built for the weapon. Rachel quickly screwed one on with what she knew was a small smile on her face. Her N99 went on her hip, as usual, but she left the missile launcher, double-barrel shotgun and grenades behind. They didn't know if their location had truly been compromised, if some animal had just triggered a flare, or if they could silence any potential trespassers covertly. Using the loudest weapons at their disposal was an almost guaranteed way to get noticed.

The newest weapon at her disposal was a prototype that Evie had been working on. It looked basically like a short-shafted warhammer with an extremely large head. Despite its cumbersome look, the weapon was deceptively light for its weapon type. The secret to that was also what coated the boat. Apparently, the Wanderer had come up with a technique, which sounded like some kind of witchcraft to Rachel for all that she understood it, to change the electron state of a liquid alloy he had created. Storm-steel, as he had taken to calling it, was even lighter than titanium but stronger and even more heat resistant. No one had been able to build him a device to realize his dream until little Evie had woken with a mission and did the impossible. The successful creation of a batch of the miracle alloy had led to the Compression Sphere and then the _McAdams_ herself. Evie, in the meantime, had also tinkered with using it to improve their weaponry. Lee was the only one that didn't have a combat knife of storm-steel but each of his women knew how sentimental he could be. Rachel had been given the cream of the crop though. The shaft of her newest weapon could telescope until it was the length of a proper warhammer and, with the press of a button, the detachable knob at its base would flood the shaft with liquid storm-steel and then change it to solid-state. Even with her prodigous strength, Rachel didn't think there was a chance of warping the shaft or shattering the head.

_I can't wait to try it out_, she thought with a bloodthirsty grin.

The tall Ranger turned to stare down into the golden-brown eyes of her lover and quadleader. Wolf raised the lip of her combat helmet and pursed her lips slightly. Rachel smiled and leaned forward to plant a gentle kiss on those full lips.

"I'm good. I'm ready," Rachel whispered and gave her another peck before pulling back.

Wolf nodded, her features settling into one of command, as she began to give orders, "Go find Lee. Render assistance as necessary but get back here as soon as you can. We'll get the ship ready to fly. Pop smoke if you can't make it back to us and we'll come get you. Got it?"

"Got it, Boss," Rachel gave her a cheeky smile and Wolf just grinned.

"No need," Lee's voice from the foredeck hatchway had them both spinning in that direction.

Lee stood there, looking as calm as ever, while clutching the collar of a muddy, battered Teng.

Perversely, Rachel found herself disappointed at not having the excuse to use her new warhammer.

* * *

Wolf stared out into the increasingly heavy fog as Teng emptied a canteen of water. She turned back when he started to choke and cough. He wiped his mouth and looked at her through severely bruised, bloodshot eyes that were healing even as she watched. For a brief moment, a surge of hot anger at the man for endangering her family flared within her. The quadleader took a single, deep breath and tried to let that all go. It was water under the bridge, as her mother had often said, and it was best not to dwell.

"So, why are you back?" Wolf asked without preamble as she set her 12-gauge across her knees.

Teng took his own deep breath and closed his eyes as a suppressed look of anguish marred his features. Wolf resisted the urge to place a consoling hand on his shoulder and waited for the man to compose himself. When he opened his eyes to fix her with a steady gaze, she knew that he had been successful.

"I... enjoy the company of men," Teng seemed at a loss for words as he looked at her as though waiting for a grenade to go off.

"Yes, so do I, on occasion; your point?"

Teng barked laughter before quickly clamping down on it, "You look like the old blood, I thought maybe you were-"

"A homophobe?"

"I don't know that word."

Now it was Wolf's turn to smile sheepishly, "Neither did I when I lived here. It means those that're afraid of people that are attracted to the same gender."

Teng shook his head, "They seem more angry than afraid."

Wolf growled, not unlike her namesake, "Irrational fear ken quickly turn ta anger with the right outlet."

_Damnit. There I go again with that damn hillbilly speak._

Teng looked away and nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, I suppose yer right."

"Now, what's that have to do with why you're here?"

"In my village, wanting to be with the same sex is punishable by death. I found someone in a neighboring village and we were happy for awhile. I got captured one day when I was going to meet him."

Wolf did reach out this time to place a steadying hand on Teng's shoulders as tears began to slide down his face.

"All I could think about was getting back to Drew, you know? Just to have his arms around me and I could feel safe. And what do I find when I get back?" Now Teng's voice deepened until it was a hoarse croak. "They fucking hung him and strung him up like a piece of meat. His own village. People that grew up with him. Those fucks just killed him." Teng covered his eyes with his left hand as he bowed his head. "I still had family in my home village. They told me what happened. Some bitch wanted Drew and started followin' him. She ratted us out, sold me out to slavers, and watched him twist. I got her though." Teng clutched his left fist in his right hand so hard he quivered, "That fucking cunt went to her ancestors screaming."

Wolf squeezed the freshly enraged man's shoulder firmly, "Focus, Teng."

"Right. Okay." Teng took a noisy breath before continuing, "The Clans hire a mercenary group, Peacekeepers, to capture or kill fugitives. I need transport out of the region and you're my best bet. Can you help me?"

Wolf removed her hand and put her game face on just as the primary piston fired with a ship-shaking boom. The Ranger was impressed that Teng only slightly flinched.

"Okay, Teng, do you have any way you can pay for this ride?"

"Yes," Teng nodded slowly as he leaned forward, "I thought of that. There's this band of marauders that appeared about eight years ago. They can afford the best equipment and have a seemingly endless supply of ammo. They say the chief has a personal vault with half a million caps in it."

Wolf whistled quietly and shook her head, "That's a lot of caps. Are you sure the rumor is true?"

Teng shrugged, "The marauders are there. I've been to their base before. I also know the leader is paranoid as they come. There has to be a reason for that."

Wolf chuckled as she watched Teng glance out of the hatchway and into the fog, "Relax, Teng. We'll take you with us _after_ we hit that marauder base."

Teng breathed a sigh of relief but still seemed worried as he ran a hand along his close-cropped hair, "Shouldn't we be hurrying then? They can't be that far behind me."

Wolf laughed outright, reaching out to squeeze Teng's shoulders again, "Trust me when I say that, with those two out there, we have _nothing_ to worry about."

* * *

Kristoff, known throughout the Free Clans as Kristoff the Tiger, blew into his hands to try to get some feeling back into them. The heavy fog that had risen around them was icy cold, appropriate for this time of year, but Kristoff had stupidly forgotten his heavy gloves at the Peacekeeper Outpost in Nehe. The fingerless gloves he wore were thin and gave him a better grip on his sidearm but he thought his fingertips might freeze off in this fog.

"Fuck me, Kris!" His number two grumbled as he slipped on a slick piece of mud and nearly went over the side of the trail they were following. It looked like it was ascending into a relatively wide patch of land a hundred feet in front of them. "Why, in all the hundreds of Chinese Hells, are we out here chasing after that boy-lover? You know that cunt deserved what she got!"

Kris stopped and turned to fix Lì Bao in place with the golden-eyed glare that had given him his name. He was taller by nearly a foot than his subordinate but the short man met his eyes impassively. They had been through a lot together and Lì Bao knew when he pushed too far. Instead of dressing his second down, Kris smirked as he looked down the front of the black brahmin leather longcoat that Lì Bao wore. The man was always so protective of looking the part of a professional Peacekeeper.

"You got some mud on your coat," Kris informed him before turning back to continue the journey with a grin.

"Wha-?!" Lì Bao spluttered and then was reduced to a string of furious Mandarin as he tried to wipe it off as best he could.

"Sir, with all due respect, does Lì Bao have a point?" The smoky voice belong to the sole woman on their six-person squad and, of course, she was fresh out of training.

"Despite all that bullshit they teach you at Academy, newbie, we're still pretty much a band of mercs. We call ourselves 'Peacekeepers' to help make the case that we're impartial arbitrators or whatever the fuck. They pay us enough money and we hunt and bring back who they tell us. It doesn't matter how fucked up it is or how much we want to let them go. He did kill that bitch in cold blood." There was a moment of heavy silence that Kristoff had to break, " And just why the fuck are you guys wearing your helmets?"

Standard Peacekeeper gear was a set of reinforced leather armor, soft-soled boots, longcoat with hood, and a combat helmet complete with tinted visor. Experienced Peacekeepers almost never wore their helmets though. The more poor and remote villages in any Clan's territory already viewed them with dread and more than a little supernatural terror. It made it much easier to get information out of the, literally, clannish people when they could see a human face. Peacekeepers fresh out of the Academy always wore their helmets as though, if they kept it on, their status couldn't be suddenly taken away. Kristoff, as much as he hated to admit it, had been the same way and knew exactly the reason why.

_It _is_ fun to give them shit though,_ he thought as he and L.B. shared a wink.

The tallest newbie, easily several inches over six feet, spluttered, "It's our standard gear and, since we're after such a dangerous fugitive..."

Kristoff snorted, "Tell me another one, kid."

"I don't know, Kris," Kristoff was surprised to find his third experienced Peacekeeper, Po McCall, speaking up. He turned to eye the man but found that his hood was up and his features nearly completely obscured. "I heard a lot of rumors from a guy that barely got out of Charleston before the shit hit the fan. They said that Teng and the woman he escaped with tore through all those gladiators like they weren't nothing. Maybe we shouldn't underestimate him."

"I'm not. Hand-to-hand, Teng could probably beat all of us at once, I seen him do something like that when he was fourteen," Kristoff laughed as Lì Bao made a noise behind him. "Don't laugh, L.B. I was scouting the kid for Academy. Even if he didn't take to fieldwork, he could have been a helluva hand-to-hand instructor. Anyway, my point was that the kid knows jackshit about living out in the wild. He'll probably be tired and half-dead from exhaustion. How's that tracking, kid?"

The final newbie on their team, a slender young man named Pãn Fang, had earned Kristoff's respect enough to have his name remembered by putting L.B. on his ass in a sparring match. He was also a damn good scout.

"Fine, sir!" The kid called as he jogged back through the fog. "There's somebody up ahead though."

"Ambush?" The newbies quickly scrambled to check their semi-automatic .38-caliber rifles as L.B. and Po shared a bemused look.

"Not sure, sir. It could be. He's just sitting there on a rock, whittling a piece of wood, like he doesn't have a care in the world."

"How's he outfitted?"

"Heavy combat armor. The old kind they use out east. A brace of throwing spears and a sidearm, heavy-duty, are all that I could see. He's wearing a long camouflaged cloak that covers up a lot."

Kristoff's eyebrows raised and he found himself nodding in approval. The kid had only gone up ahead a few minutes ago and had come back with more information than Kristoff would have thought.

_Maybe the assholes in Personnel finally got one right._

"Nice work, Pãn Fang. We'll keep our cards close on this one. L.B., you take Pãn Fang up there and find a spot," Kristoff pointed to a higher trail up the mountainside on their left and the two immediately set out for it. "Po, you stick to the girl like glue. Newbie, you're on my nine. Whatever you do, if the lead starts flying, try not to get in my line-of-fire. I _will_ shoot you. Let's do it."

_I'll give the kid one thing, this fucking guy really doesn't seem like he gives a shit._

Kristoff could hear the odd man whistling as he sat on a large, relatively flat stone. It was amazing that the rookie had gotten close enough to make out all that detail because, at fifteen feet, Kristoff still had trouble making out much. It began to lightly drizzle as soon as they came to a stop within ten feet and, despite any rain being seen as a blessing, an uneasy feeling settled in Kristoff's stomach as the man had yet to look up.

"Hello, sir," Kristoff began in a casual greeting that he hoped would put the stranger at ease despite the fact that his hood remained up to conceal his features. "I'm Lieutenant Kristoff from the Outpost at Nehe. We're tracking a murderer that goes by Teng. He's a little over five and a half feet tall, slender, golden-yellow skin, dark brown hair and eyes." Kristoff chuckled self-consciously and scratched his chin, "Yeah, I guess I did just describe about half the population in these mountains. He's got some colorful tattoos. A tiger on the left side of his chest and dragons on his shins. They're really hard to miss."

"Peacekeepers, huh? I don't think you have very far to go now," The man finally spoke and his accent sounded a little strange to Kristoff's ears; as though there were a hidden cadence that only the stranger could detect. "Teng is under our protection now. Soon, he will be gone from your reach."

Three rifles were leveled on the man in an instant and he didn't make a move other than to slowly pull back his hood to reveal a rather young, dark brown face. It was his eyes that chilled Kristoff to the core. They were the eyes of a killer, a savage, and almost seemed to shine with an inner light. Kristoff had tracked many men in his decade long career as a Peacekeeper, some of the most brutal murderers that this mountain had seen, but this was the first time that the look in a man's eyes had threatened to steal all courage from his heart.

_You're a Peacekeeper Lieutenant for Christ's sake, get it together,_ that thought was immediately followed by, _Where'd the knife go?_ _When in doubt, go with bravado._

Kristoff chuckled and pushed back the edges of his coat to reveal the grip of the 10mm pistol at his hip, "I'm afraid I'm at a lost, friend. Just who are you exactly to be offering a wanted man protection?"

"Reilly's Rangers, Echo Quad, out of the Capital Wastes."

"You do know that means not a fucking thing out here, right?"

"Doesn't matter. All you need to know, amigo, is that you can't win this. The only reason you made it this far is 'cause I think you're decent sorts. From what Janet was telling Marcus, your outfit does worthy work most of the time."

_How long has this bastard been tracking us?_ Kristoff thought furiously as he tried to school his expression.

"There's no doubt that he murdered an innocent girl. You Rangers give protection to criminals?"

The Ranger shrugged, "I heard enough of the story from the man. Sounded to me like he took justice for himself. Part of our code is to help the helpless and, in this case, he qualifies."

"L.T., let's just do this guy, get Teng, and get paid!" Po snapped from somewhere behind him.

"My man does have a point, Ranger. There's three rifles on you, in case you haven't noticed, and you haven't even touched that iron you have at your hip. So, here's my counteroffer, hand Teng over and we'll let you be on your merry ol' way."

"Whoever said I was alone?"

The sound of rattling equipment filled the area for a moment. Kristoff kept his eyes squarely on the strange man, who now had his hands on his knees as he calmly met the Peacekeeper's gaze, and waited for Po to fill him in.

"L.T., you might want to take a look at this," his second called to him.

Kristoff turned for just the briefest moment to take stock of the situation and could barely believe his eyes. The still forms of the rookie and Lì Bao lay a few feet from the rest of the squad where they had come to rest after rolling down the embankment. There was a figure standing at the top, nearly a dozen feet above their heads and their features were hard to make out even in the thinning fog; what was clear to see was the missile launcher that was currently aimed squarely at the Peacekeeper formation. When Kristoff snapped his head around, he was brought up short by the edge of a combat knife. It was so close that, when he swallowed, the tiniest trickle of blood escaped his throat.

The stranger's eyes, wide and as dark as the pit of Hell, seemed to bore straight through Kristoff, "Has my point been made clear?"

Kristoff wouldn't give the Ranger the satisfaction of seeing him sweat and merely cocked an eyebrow, "You think?"

Nerves of steel, honed by years of deadly encounters, was all that prevented Kristoff from jumping and slitting his own throat when an otherworldly, piercing wail echoed throughout the valley. Birds took flight in all directions but the sound faded quickly.

"That's our ride, Moon!" The stranger removed the knife and sheathed it beneath his cloak so quickly that Kristoff could barely follow it. "No hard feelings, pro-to-pro, Kristoff."

Kristoff turned back to his downed men and found that the other Ranger had disappeared into the fog. To his relief, Pãn Fang and Lì Bao were both stirring. It hurt his professional pride to admit it but he knew when he had been outclassed.

"Can I at least get your name, frien-?" Kristoff trailed off when he found that the Ranger was already walking backward into the fog.

"They call me The Walker," and then he was gone.

It only took a few seconds for Po to come to his side, "Should we go after them?"

Kristoff was about to respond when a shadowy shape, oblong and positively massive, rose above the treeline. That piercing whistle echoed again and Kristoff could only shake his head.

"They tracked us for at least a mile, took out two of ours without a sound, and they've got something that can fucking _fly_. I didn't like the smell of this job from the start. Now? There's not enough caps in Nehe to make me go after those Rangers."

"Hate to say it, L.T., but I'm relieved you said that. I've fought some hardass killers in my day but the look in that one's eyes?" Po gave a dramatic shudder as they watched the shape rise ever higher.

Kristoff slung an arm across his friend's shoulders, "Let's get those two on their feet and get back home. We're all in one piece and, even if no one believes us right now, I have a feeling we'll hear more about these Rangers before too long. First drink's on me, brother."

"Did I hear that right?" Lì Bao asked groggily as he was helped to his feet by Marcus. "Did you really just offer to buy us booze, Kris, or did that big bitch actually kill me?"

"Ha-fuckin'-ha, dick."


	39. XXXIX

If there was one thing that Joshua hated about having joined up with the McKenna Marauders was all the stupid nicknames. It seemed like every shit-for-brains raider, merc, or scav had one and almost none of them were earned. Joshua sat at the poker table in Mckennaville's, another uninspired name for the abandoned logging town the eldest of the McKenna clan had settled so long ago, gambling den/bar/brothel/restaurant with Stan the Screw on his left, Lionel LionHeart on his right, and Timmy the Squirrel across from him. He had known each of the men four years and still had no idea how they had earned their monikers.

"I fold," Stan grumbled in disgust, throwing down his three cards and glaring dark blue eyes around the table as though it was their fault he sucked at Five Card.

"I'm out too, damnit," Timmy laughed and threw back his shotglass of Nehe 'shine.

Joshua and Lionel played the hand out until its conclusion with Joshua winning in the form of a Full House of three jacks and a pair of 10's. Lionel shook his head and narrowed brown eyes at Joshua as he calmly collected his chips.

"Ax," Joshua grimaced at his own nickname coming from the man's lips, "You've got the best goddamn poker face I ever seen. Guess that's why they call you the Ax-Man, huh?"

Joshua met Lionel's stare with his own dark-eyed one and waited for a new hand to be dealt.

"What do you guys think'ah the Worm gettin' fresh meat to fill in?" Timmy asked, idly chewing on a piece of brahmin jerky as he examined his hand.

"It's fuckin' stupid, if ya ask me," Stan griped and took a sip from his flask of homebrew. "Bad enough we gotta take your ass, Squirrel, and now we're gonna have some fuckin' scrubs, too? Eh. Hopefully they'll die like good bait and I'll get a bigger cut."

Timmy scratched at the patchy skin on the side of his neck from a far too close call with a flamer and chuckled, "You're cold as ice, Screw. As ice."

Lionel turned his head in the direction of Roland the White Worm's private booth and gave Joshua a fantastic view of the grotesque dent in the back of his head. It was a local mystery, some would say miracle, how Lionel was still alive and not a vegetable. Of course, very few Marauders got to see the man's increasingly frequent blackout rages and live to tell their tale. Joshua had seen several and only the fact that Lionel had gotten the wound saving him from a fucking Charleston regulars warhammer had stopped him from telling the entire band of marauders.

"Look at those two. What do ya make of 'em?"

The Den was fairly crowded, especially after recent events had made being in public view of any passing McKenna's a very bad idea and it took Joshua a moment to spot the two that Lionel was speaking about past the table where a trio of low-level strongarms were playing blackjack. He immediately knew what had prompted Lionel's interest. If he guessed right, the one on the right was a woman from her proportions but she was tall and broad-shouldered for a female. She was also armed to the teeth with an assault rifle, double-barrel in a thigh holster, a pistol at her hip and a short-shafted warhammer opposite her pistol. It was very rare to see women marauders or scavs in the mountains. That sort of thing was fairly common in Charleston and, or so a trader had informed him, it was rampant in the Capital Wasteland. Her companion was a far bit shorter and, when he turned to say something to the woman, Lionel saw classic Golden Clan features. That was also a shock since the Clans were so damn tightknit. Most of the outcasts from those hillbillies either ended up slaves or dying out in the wilderness.

"A chick and a clannie? Jumpin' Jesus, Worm'll probably hire 'em just for the notilty," Timmy bitched but had a big smile on his face as he scooped up his winnings from the latest hand.

"You mean 'novelty', Squirrel?" Lionel smirked as Timmy began to shuffle the deck.

"Whatever; just because I never went ta school don't mean I'm stupid," Timmy began dealing cards and shook his head, "I still win more'n you at poker most nights anyway."

"Just deal the fuckin' cards. What do you think, Ax?"

The hand was almost over by the time Joshua finally answered, "Doesn't matter as long as they can handle their shit when the dying starts."

That sobered the others pretty quickly and, if it wasn't for their meager funds, they all probably would have ordered more shots of 'shine. Joshua was drinking water and even that was getting to be an expense he could barely afford since "Lord" McKenna had gone to the Capital Wasteland to avenge his cousin Jerry and gotten himself killed by some kind of badass freak that looked like a beautiful woman as pale as moonlight. It was quickly becoming a legend among the Marauders but that was the second most irritating thing to Joshua about the group. Everything had to be some kind of epic story or legendary feat. The only story he put any credence to was the one about the Vault and that was only because he'd been on guard duty at the main entrance to the mine that contained it on numerous occasions. On one such night, he had even seen one of the younger McKenna's leaving with a large bag that she had dropped. A mass of caps, far more than he had ever seen, had erupted from it and the McKenna's personal guards had surrounded the woman as she scrambled to pick them up.

"Hey! I haven't played poker in a while, you guys mind if I sit in?" The voice, young, chipper and female was a bit of a shock but, when they all turned to the source, each of their jaws dropped in unison.

She was short, barely over five feet if Joshua guessed correctly, and very well proportioned in a pair of leather pants that looked like she had been poured into them. The young woman was wearing a set of worn leather armor but her only weapon was a 10mm pistol in a hip holster. There was a tool belt atop her gunbelt, full of gizmos that were alien to Joshua, and a backpack that seemed just as stuffed with gadgets. None of that was what had each of them gaping like fish out of water. It was the huge grin on her face that only served to highlight the eyepatch, surrounded by a starburst pattern of thin, fine scars, covering her left eye.

Lionel was the first to recover, "Have a seat, little lady. Always good to have some female company to break up this male stink. May I ask your name?"

The woman giggled as she sat her backpack next to the empty chair between Lionel and Timmy after taking a seat, "Maker."

"Maker?" Timmy chuckled in what he probably thought was a seductive manner and Joshua had to admit that, even with the missing eye, she was definitely a looker.

"Because I make things," she stuck her tongue out at Timmy and he actually blushed like a damn village girl.

"Oh, what kind of things?" Stan asked with a smirk. The man never had much respect for the opposite sex and it especially came through when he was trying to charm his way into their nether regions.

Apparently, his tone was not lost on the girl. Her hand was on her gun and she had it out of her holster before any of the others even noticed. Joshua had been watching the unusual girl like a hawk and his own .38 was clearing leather just as a hand clutched his elbow. Pain flared from the point of contact down to his hand and, unbelievably, his fingers involuntarily relaxed around the butt of his sidearm. He turned, his other hand automatically going for the combat knife at his thigh, and was brought short by the gentle poke of a blade's point through his thin shirt just below the ribcage. Joshua froze, icy anger brewing beneath his calm veneer as he looked up at the fuck that had gotten the drop on him and into eyes that were just as stony as his own. The light caught them just right and, for a moment, he could swear that they flared yellow.

"You have to forgive, Maker. She gets a little excited about demonstrating," the man, skin that shade of dark brown you didn't see much this high in the mountains, nodded back at the table.

Joshua turned to find the others staring in fascination at the flurry of activity on the table. Half the woman's sidearm were on the table as she swiftly and expertly reassembled it. In seconds, she had the entire weapon put back together and dry fired it a few times. Lionel actually whistled and gestured for the waitress, a petite brunette dressed in a burlap dress that barely covered the bottom half of her ass, to come over. He took five shots from her tray and waved her off after paying.

"Seems like we found ourselves another recruit, boys!" Lionel raised his shot in a toast and the others, besides Joshua, joined him.

Joshua's gaze was locked on the man's as he faded into the background.

_Looks like we found two_, he thought as he downed his own glass.

* * *

Two days later, the third most irritating thing about the Marauders was presenting itself in full force as Joshua sat on a partially rotted log and stared into the water-filled bottom of what could have been a rock quarry or strip mine. Whatever it had been, the fact remained that, according to some kind of Old World diagram that Roland had procured, there was a backdoor into the mining tunnels that contained the Vault that would deposit them practically right outside it. They would need to possible squeeze themselves through collapses, maybe even dig through a couple, and there was no way to know how long it would take. Roland had told each of the dozen men and women he had gathered to pack lightly on ammo and weapons and as heavy as they could on food and water.

_Of course, eight out of ten of the people that join McKenna's Marauders are fucking idiots that _think_ they're geniuses so they want to argue about everything._

"No, Tiny," Roland, shaved head pale in the morning light while the jagged scars crisscrossing it were a livid shade of pink, was obviously trying to remain calm as he talked to a tall, hairy, and positively foul-smelling man covered in armor and weapons. "I told you. A rifle and a sidearm. Light armor. As much food and water as you can scrounge together. You don't have nearly enough water and you're gonna have to leave some of that."

"But what if we run inta somethin' down thar! You know they say they keep'ah brood'ah DeathClaws down there to guard the Vault!" Tiny said in the comically squeaky voice that had given him his moniker.

"DeathClaws ain't real, Tiny! Jesus! Next thing you know, you'll tell me that you believe that shit about people going to the fuckin' moon!"

A chuckle, quickly stifled, alerted Joshua to the fact that he wasn't alone. How Maker, who was supposed to be a damn mechanic, could sneak better than most of the scavs he had ever met only added to the mystery around her and her companion that barely spoke. As far as Joshua knew, the man she called Walker had only spoken the one time to him. He looked up and nodded to the one-eyed woman as she settled down next to him with her bodyguard hovering on his opposite side.

"Is it always like this?" She asked, poking her thumb in the direction of a still arguing Roland and Tiny.

Joshua snorted and spit over the edge of the pit, "Every raid I've ever been on since I joined up. Stupid fucks."

When Maker remained silent, he turned to find her staring at him expectantly and she laughed, "You're as quiet as Walker!"

Joshua shrugged and shared a wry glance with the man in question. One thing he had learned about Maker was that the woman could talk about everything under the sun for hours when it suited her. That poker night had been filled with more laughter and conversation than it had in weeks. To his surprise, Joshua had found it far less annoying than when Timmy or Stan started in. Of course, all three of his comrades had gotten absolutely nowhere near her panties but that had only caused them to fawn over her like puppies. That had ended this morning though when the tall woman, skin an odd shade that could have been tan or natural coloring, had arrived with Roland, her Golden Clan companion, and another woman with the features of the mountain clans. The new woman had one of the most beautiful, unblemished faces that Joshua had ever seen. Everything seemed just perfectly proportioned to maximum benefit. Even the lips, what some would call overly full, complimented the rest of her features. Whenever those amber eyes met his for even a split second, Joshua could feel a powerful surge of arousal race through him. She called herself Song and immediately had admirers. Despite not having have a guard like The Maker, she handled the attentions of the men with an ease that spoke of experience. Joshua, for his part, would have none of it.

"Hey, J," Maker nudged his shoulder, "Look at that, would ya? That dolly has some hips on her, doesn't she?"

"Dolly?" Joshua asked but he did know what she was talking about as they watched Wolf bend over slightly to feel beneath the shirt of one of the guys that Joshua didn't know.

"Dame? Chick? Woman?" Maker laughed and shook her head. "I bet you'd like to get you a piece of that, hmm?" Joshua shrugged but the tiny woman just kept going. "I think we've still got an hour before they'll have it all sorted. I bet I could get her to come with me and we could have some fun. If she's not willing... well, between you and Walker, we could _convince_ her."

Joshua turned in surprise and was a bit disturbed by the cheerful grin the woman was wearing.

_This one's completely lost her mind._

"Not into that. They gotta be willing or at least getting paid."

"Ah. That's too bad. What about that one? She more your type?" Maker gestured at the other woman in their little band of psychos where she was boasting with a pair of scrubs and her quiet Clan friend. When Joshua shrugged again, Maker clapped him on the back, "You're too much, Joshua! Do you like women?" She laughed again at the look he gave her, "Sorry, man. You just don't seem like the rest of these guys."

"Some chose this life and others have it chosen for them."

Maker was quiet for all of thirty seconds before quietly asking, "Is that how you started getting called Ax-Man?"

Joshua quickly stood and picked up his travel pack with his ax slung through loops on its top, "I'm going to walk the perimeter. Tell Roland I'll be back before we leave."

For the briefest moment, Joshua thought the woman would stand up to comfort him but, as if remembering she was a marauder, she simply nodded.

_Fucking weirdo._

* * *

"Remember, don't detach from the line unless you let the people in front and behind you know. Keep your heads on a swivel, watch for signs of unstable ceilings and supports, and we'll all be alive and fucking rich by the time we come back out. Let's go."

Joshua watched from about halfway down the line that attached the group's rudimentary climbing harnesses to each other as Roland strapped on an ancient miner's helmet, clipped himself to a rope that was anchored beneath the water and slowly lowered himself over the edge of the pitch black entrance to a mineshaft. The sides would undoubtedly be slippery as the water that filled the bottom of the strip mine to knee height flowed over the lip of the shaft in a steady trickle. It wasn't enough to cause serious problems or concerns about the entire mine being flooded, rainy seasons were nowhere near wet enough for that but it would make footing precarious.

One by one, the group lowered themselves into the pit on a rope that was older than any of them. Of course, it was far more durable than any post-War rope could ever hope to be. As Joshua carefully eased himself over the edge, he took one last look at their anchor point and nodded to himself. He had been the one to set it and it was some of his finest work yet. His father, one of the last Vault Hunters in the region, would have been proud. He twisted his headlamp to turn on the powerful beam and slowly rappelled down the rocky wall. The descent was long and they had to wait at one point while Roland found an anchor point for a nut so they could continue. For several minutes of descent, Joshua wondered if they had brought enough rope just for this stage. He had another thirty feet of cord on his harness and, between the other members of the team, they had at least three hundred.

_It has to be enough._

His fears went unrealized as he looked down to find that Roland had reached the bottom and was helping one of the inexperienced ones detach from the rope. Soon, his boots were in water that was only ankle deep, as he obediently stepped forward so that Walker could plant himself on solid ground. The bottom of the mineshaft was completely devoid of light, a fact he was well accustomed to, and there was a feeling of heaviness about the place. A fear of enclosed spaces was as utterly foreign to him as flying would be to a brahmin but he knew that the feeling of weight, the silence, which permeated these forgotten monuments to the ingenuity of man could unseat the minds of even the hardest men.

"Shit! My feet are gonna look like prunes when we get out of here!" Timmy bitched as he tried to sit on the wreckage of what Joshua could only assume had been the lift that had carried people up and down the shaft centuries ago.

Maker chuckled, "It could be worse! It could be piss!"

The tall woman, who had introduced herself as Moon, shared in the laughter, "Or shit."

"Ugh! Why'd ya have ta say that?" In the harsh light of some many headlamps, Timmy turned a sickly shade of green.

"Don't you dare puke, Squirrel," Lionel said as he touched down, "Better yet, go ahead. Hopefully you won't have enough left in you to do it later."

"Fuck you, Lionheart," Timmy groaned, swallowed thickly, and then turned his head to projectile vomit on the wall behind him.

Several of the rookies and Stan chuckled at Timmy's predicament. Once Timmy had finished retching, Song offered him a tablet of some kind which he gratefully began chewing as if his life depended on it. Soon after, Roland was egging them on to continue their journey since, by his diagram of the mine, they had at least a couple of miles of tunnel to traverse before they even got to the point where they could connect to the complex where the Vault was.

The journey was quiet except for the scuff of boots, the gentle clank of equipment, and the heavy breathing of some of the group. At one point, just at a fairly large junction, they came upon a wooden wall that looked post-War if he had ever seen it. There was no light coming from the opposite side so he and Tiny went at it with their axes. The two, Tiny dwarfing Joshua's five and a half foot frame, made short work of the wall.

What they found beyond the wall would haunt him for weeks. At least a dozen skeletons were scattered in what they had obviously turned into some kind of makeshift camp. There were piles of human waste, practically fossilized with age, everywhere and even the tattered remnants of their clothing were soiled. Joshua stopped next to the bed of one of the smaller skeletons.

"What the fuck!? Goddamn, what killed 'em?" Tiny whispered from his place down the line.

"Some kind of plague. It's long gone," Joshua told him and nodded at Roland.

"Doesn't matter," Roland consulted his Pip-Boy, another one of the mysteries surrounding the man, before speaking again, "Air's a little stale and heavy but methane's low. Keep moving."

The group moved quickly past the macabre scene and took to the tunnel to their left. The taller members of their group, including the woman, had to stoop slightly since the ceiling was barely six feet tall at its highest. That continued for what seemed like miles before Roland called for a fifteen minute stop. Joshua was sure to keep his ax at hand and his sidearm loose in his holster. There was some comfort to be had in so large a group since they filled the tunnel up with sound even if it was muted conversation and the vaguely disgusting sounds of eating. It was hard to imagine that these tunnels were once filled with noise, dust, and packed full of bodies. Joshua couldn't understand why anyone would work in a place like this, day in and day out, for years. Sometimes he thought that the stories that his father had told him about the Old World were just fanciful yarns.

_If that were true, then there wouldn't be so much abandoned machinery down here_, he thought to himself with a shake of his head as Roland barked for everyone to get to their feet again.

By his estimates, they had only gone another four hundred feet when the tunnel abruptly ended in a jagged wall of rock. The tail end of a block of machinery, probably some kind of hi-tech drill, sat directly in the center of the tunnel.

"I thought you said there was gonna be a door or somethin'!" Timmy practically screeched and, when Joshua turned, he saw that the man's features looked even more anxious than they had before.

"No, I said you could get into the Vault tunnels through here. Look," Roland aimed a handlamp at the top of the tunnel and revealed a fairly sizable gap at the top. "Ax, you're up!"

Joshua grunted and removed himself from the line. It was a simple matter to take off his backpack, slid it into the crawlspace in front of him with his ax, and follow behind it all. He probably could have done the crawl with his pack on because, to his suspicious surprise, the tunnel was certainly large enough for even a big man to comfortably make his way through.

"Plenty of space," he called back as he shuffled his way through on his belly from habit. He looked up and was shocked to discover that his helmet was far below the top of the roughhewn tunnel. The fingertips of his left glove passed over a number of deep grooves in the rock that drew his eye. "Yeah, plenty of space."

_Stay calm. You knew the rumors. Let Roland know when everybody's through._

Despite his words, Joshua drew his 10mm and let it lead the way as he crawled. Thankfully, the space ended after thirty feet and he found himself sliding face first down a gentle incline of surprisingly loose rock. He looked back and saw light spilling from the tunnel as the others followed him. The marauder stood and pulled on his pack as he examined the natural cavern he found himself in. It wasn't the largest he'd ever seen Vault-diving but it was one of the worst smelling. There might be a faint smell of sulphur but, usually, the air just smelled stale.

"Checking something out!" He called back and cautiously walked forward into the small, widespread cluster of stalagmites at the enter of the cavern.

One glimpse of what was at the center of the ring of mineral formations was all that he was necessary to send him sprinting back to where Roland was helping the others through the tunnel. Roland, as observant as ever, took one look at Joshua's face and drew his short-barreled pump-action from his thigh holster.

"What is it? What'd you see?" He asked but Joshua could tell just from the look in his too wide eyes, that Roland knew.

"Pieces of bodies, men, brahmin, bear, furry snake, God knows what else," Joshua answered as he swiveled and turned his headlamp outwards with the others as the last few came out of the crawlspace.

"Any idea what it is?" Tiny asked, voice shaky as he stood in line with his pistol out and panning wildly around the room for a target.

"No."

"Maybe a bear?" One of the new people, a slender man that called himself Three-Fingers despite having all ten, asked.

"Down this fuckin' deep? You stupid or somethin'?!" Timmy snapped.

Joshua looked to his left and saw that Maker had taken up position there with an SMG held quite calmly in both hands as she systematically scanned the area around her. On his opposite side, Walker also stood as though they were back on that ridge looking down into the mine. The only exception was that, when those eyes turned back to him, they were definitely glowing a strange, otherworldly golden-yellow.

"Hey, what are you buncha pussies doin'!?" Lionel asked as he emerged from the crawlspace.

Joshua turned back to shoot him a glare just in time to see the wall come to life above him. An impossibly long hand, tipped with razor sharp claws, wrapped around Lionel's face as if he were a baby and started dragging him up the wall with shocking speed.

"Fuck me!" Timmy screamed and opened fire on the shape that was nearly indistinguishable from the wall at the speed it was moving.

The others opened fire, he thought several actually hit a screaming Lionel if the suddenness of his silence was any indication, but whatever it was managed to completely disappear into a tunnel half a dozen feet above the hole they had crawled out of.

Then they kept going.

"The rope!" Song shouted a second before being thrown off her feet and sliding up the pile of rock as the creature dragged Lionel's body further away.

The woman was bounced up the wall as she frantically tried to release the clamp that attached her to the line. Stan had instantly cut the rope with his combat knife the second she had screamed the warning and turned away from her as she was dragged to her death. A single shot rang out and Wolf was tumbling back to the bottom of the rock pile. Joshua turned to find Walker's .44's barrel smoking as he walked forward and helped their medic to her feet.

A shape dropped into their formation from out of nowhere. Joshua, adrenaline already making his hands want to shake so bad he would certainly drop his pistol, couldn't make it out clearly in the chaos that unfolded. Roland was frantically screaming for everyone to stick together and not a single person listened. Joshua stumbled back to give himself some room, tripped on a rock, and just avoided being pounced on by another shape. Timmy was not so lucky and was tackled to the ground. He managed to fire several shots into whatever it was that had him pinned but a clawed hand lashed out and ripped his throat apart in a geyser of blood. Timmy managed to pull his knife and tried to stab it with his last, feeble bit of strength.

Joshua aimed at the thing and fired, only for it to turn its horned head at him as though he were an annoying fly. He got his first good look at their attackers and he knew that it would haunt him for all the remaining minutes of his life. Standing, it would probably be at least seven feet tall, not as big as a bear but it was obviously some kind of lizard. For some reason, that terrified Joshua more than a bear would have as it opened its jagged-toothed mouth and hissed at him. Thick strings of drool fell as it advanced with a strange gait that was probably the result of the elongated ankles and strange toes it sported.

_That's a hell of a thing to notice before I die,_ he thought as he fired every single round in his magazine at the creature's oddly thin chest.

It actually brushed the far too tiny wounds with the back of its hand and he was shocked to hear the telltale bounce of spent cartridges off a stone floor. A shape leaped in front of Joshua with a wild yell and began firing their sidearm. The blasts, insanely loud even over the sounds of a pair of shotguns, came so close together they were nearly indistinguishable from one another. The DeathClaw, that's the only thing that it could possibly be, scurried back into the shadows with astonishing speed for something of its build. The figure turned and he found himself looking up into glowing eyes. Joshua pushed himself to his feet and was nearly shoved back down by someone running for their life.

"Run! _Run!_" Stan screamed and followed his own advice.

Now Joshua found himself in a mad scramble through a connecting tunnel that opened up onto a narrow stone bridge. Without any bit of hesitation to check for stability, Stan started across it as fast as he could. Somehow, Joshua found himself sandwiched between Maker and Song while Walker brought up the rear this time. Unfortunately for the man, the bridge could only take so many pounding feet before something broke. That something just happened to be a four foot section that disappeared beneath his feet. Walker stumbled, arms waving to regain his shattered balance, before slamming stomach first into the edge of the bridge. Acting on instinct, Joshua reversed course and dove beside a scrabbling Song as she grabbed Walker's left hand. He grabbed the man's right and they hauled him back onto the bridge. Joshua's brow furrowed at the soft chuckle Walker emitted as he clapped them both on the shoulders.

"Let's go, Walker!" Moon yelled from the far side of the bridge where she, the Golden Clan, and Maker were waiting for them.

Walker waved them both forward as he once again brought up the rear. The diminished group rounded a corner and were brought up short by another wall. This time there was a vertical gap on the left side that Joshua immediately threw himself at. His pack was off again in record time and he wedged himself in the crevice. This squeeze was even tighter than before, there wasn't even room to turn his head from the direction he was moving in, and his pack barely fit. It was the terror, muted beneath a hard-earned ability to focus, that let him scurry through it like a molerat. When he burst free, nearly falling with his frantic worming, that terror went critical.

Roland's head, recognizable primarily for the scalp covered in scars, was resting with its face away from him not ten feet away. Every place his light beam touched revealed blood and body parts. He spotted Roland's grimy hand, clutching his still smoking shotgun, and quickly scooped it up as the others emerged behind him.

"Well, I guess there goes that plan, boss," Moon said as she stepped to Joshua's side.

"Yup. You think we can trust that one?" Song asked in a hard voice that made Joshua turn around only to find himself looking down the business end of her shotgun.

Maker laughed, "He's solid. A little crazy but solid. Besides, he kept his shit together _and_ tried to save Walker."

"You got him then! Walker, take point. Moon, you got the rear. Teng, stay close! Move it!"

Once the medic barked for them to get moving, Joshua found himself caught in a rushing tide of motion. Maker stayed at his side with a guiding hand on his elbow as they hustled through a series of caves that soon turned into a short tunnel lined with concrete. At the end of that tunnel was a metal door that stretched nearly from wall-to-wall. The old bloodstains lining the corridor caused a sick feeling in his gut.

_It was all one big trap. They obviously know about the backdoor and put those fucking DeathClaws down here to stop anybody from using it. Even if you do make it this far, you have to try to get past this fucking door while they're tearing you to shreds. We're fucking dead._

"How long, Maker?" Song asked as though she were inquiring about the weather.

Maker dropped her pack near the control panel a few feet in front of the door along the left wall and immediately ripped the face of it off, "Five minutes or less."

"Moon, you're on. Walker, back her up."

Joshua clutched his ax handle tightly after wiping his sweaty hands on his thighs. He knew that they were going to die. Those things were just too tough and fast to be stopped in the fifteen or so feet that the tunnel stretched. The strange woman wasn't even drawing her sidearm and instead opted for the short hammer at her back. His eyes practically bulged out of his head when she chuckled softly to herself.

"Finally, I've been waiting for a chance to use this, Maker! I just hope they show up! Don't ruin my fun, Walker; don't you dare!"

Moon held out the warhammer in front of her and suddenly the shaft grew to three times its former length. She then began pacing the twelve foot width of the corridor, hammer clutched in both hands, as she gave a few practice swings of her weapon. Then, out of nowhere, she let loose a short, explosive yell. It was startling, to say the least, when Moon shouted every time she came to one side of the corridor.

"What's she doing?!" Joshua shouted to Walker, who stood with his .44 trained on the opposite end of the corridor.

"Getting ready," Walker said with an incongruous smile curving his lips.

"_Come on!_" Moon roared as she set her feet shoulder-width apart and waited for death.

_This is it. No way I'm getting out of this one alive. _Oddly enough, the thought actually eased the terror raging inside of him.

A shape, more movement than form, dashed into the tunnel from out of nowhere and Moon's reaction was unbelievable.

"_Yeah_!" She screamed in orgiastic delight and Joshua clenched his eyes shut in resignation as he lowered his own sidearm.

_No sense in fighting it._

Heavy impacts, the crush of bodies against the sides of the corridor, and high-pitched squeals were his world for an eternity. Above it all rose the delighted battle-cries of the Moon until everything was silence. Something hit Joshua seconds later with terrifying strength and sent him into the wall. He slid until he hit the floor and waited for rending pain that would signal his end. When the sound of a heavy door unlocking and then being pushed open filled the corridor, that was when he finally opened his eyes to be greeted by the sight of Walker with Moon's legs wrapped around his waist as he pressed her against the wall.

"The fuck?" He asked dumbly as he watched the two maul each other before turning to the cavern entrance. "The _fuck_?!"

At least half a dozen mangled bodies lay in various states from where Moon had started until about three feet from where she and Walker were trying to suck each others faces off. As he watched, the body of a DeathClaw fell from the ceiling where its horned head had been literally embedded into the ceiling. The warhammer, both heads covered in a thick layer of gore, stood proud right beside him as Wolf picked it up with a muted grunt.

"Teng, splash some water on those two before they start fucking. We've got a lot of caps to move."

The Maker crouched in front of him with some kind of weird mechanical eye in place of her eyepatch and grinned hugely, "Surprised to be alive, are you?"

She held out a hand and Joshua was surprised at the hidden strength in that wiry frame of hers as she helped him to his feet, "Yes."

Maker laughed and clapped him on the back, "I like you, Joshua. For a marauder, you're not half bad. We'll split it fair and square with ya. No problemo."

"Who are you guys really?" Joshua asked, having the feeling that he, Roland, and the others had all been played by these five.

"Reilly's Rangers, Echo Quad!"

For some reason, the grin that accompanied the response sent a shiver down Joshua's spine that he wasn't quite sure if it was pleasant or not.

_Fucking weirdos,_ the thought was followed by his own grin when he entered the backdoor into the Vault and saw the stacks of long, rectangular cash boxes lining the room. The one closest to them was actually open and the gleam of untold amounts of caps shone in the light of their headlamps.

"It's the fuckin' motherlode!" Moon cackled with glee as she darted past him to the far side of the room with an empty duffel bag flapping behind her.

Maker and Moon couldn't contain their giggling as they bantered back and forth while everyone filled duffel bags. Each of them left the Vault with three bags and there were still a few dozen boxes they had left unopened. As Maker closed the Vault door behind them, she couldn't help but chuckle.

"You guys have an entirely different idea of what a 'Vault' is, don't you?" She asked as she carefully replaced the panel.

"You think of this now?" Moon asked from where she and Walker were tossing the bodies of the DeathClaws out of sight.

Joshua shrugged as he kept watch at the center of the intersection of tunnels, "Vaults are where people in the Old World stored all their valuable shit."

"You do know that they didn't _use_ caps in the Old World for money, right? Someone put all this down here after the War." Maker told him as she and Teng jogged up to the reassembled group.

"Here now. All that matters."

The trip back through the tunnels went slower now that they weren't running for their lives. Somehow, Walker tracked the path of the DeathClaws through side tunnels so they didn't have to pass through that crevice again and they crawled back to the mine proper without running into anymore of the deadly animals. They didn't stop for a rest until they were beneath the water falling from the bottom of the pit. That rest period lasted only a few minutes as they hurriedly drank from their canteens and ate a few pieces of brahmin jerky.

This time it was Walker that caused Joshua's jaw to come unhinged as he watched the man scamper up the walls as though he were half-DeathClaw while the others waited. Far sooner than should have been humanly possible a rope was falling back down to them and it looked far too small to support any of their weight. Maker held some kind of device beneath the water and a terrific whistle threatened to deafen him. When the Marauder recovered, he found that the Ranger had rigged some sort of wheel contraption around which the rope was bound.

"One at a time. Try not to squirm too much," Maker said and slapped Teng on the back as he stepped forward to affix some kind of clamp to it.

Maker tugged on it twice and stepped back as Teng rose into the air so fast that he was gone in several blinks. In the space of thirty minutes, each of the Rangers ascended with the exception of Moon. She simply handed him the grip-lock and showed him how to use it. He took it without question and tried not to squeeze too tight as she gave the rope the requisite tugs. The ground fell below him with startling suddenness and he clutched the grip-lock tightly with both hands. He hang there for what seemed an eternity, hands slowly going numb, before he gradually came to a stop at the top of the shaft. Walker and Teng helped him onto solid ground. He was unashamed to sink to it in gratitude. It was all a little too much having gone from thinking himself a dead man to finding himself on the verge of being filthy rich; as well as being caught in the whirlwind that these Rangers seemed to be at the center of.

_They're like Peacekeepers. No, saying they're like Peacekeepers is like saying a farm dog is like a wild dog. They might look the same but the wild dog is a way meaner sum'bitch._

It took some time for Moon to ascend and, when she did, he saw that she had removed the bottom anchor point.

_Goddamn. I don't know if they left shit behind for anyone to track this far out. They covered up the bodies of those DeathClaws in the side tunnel and didn't leave shit for anyone to pick up. Those fucks might never know who did this but how the fuck am I going to get out of here without Roland and his contacts? This is too much cash to go walking through Marauder territory._

Those thoughts weighed heavily on his mind as the diminished group headed back up to the top of the mine. The sun was just now setting behind the mountains in the distance. They had been done in that darkness for close to six hours and Joshua was bone tired.

_How the fuck am I going to get out of here?_

Maker patted him on the back as he took a seat on the same log he had used so long ago. He tried to think through his fatigue, probably as a result of fight-and-flight he had done, as the others talked a short distance away from him.

"Hey, Joshua!" Maker called and he looked up to find her staring down at him with that endearing grin of hers that was somehow rendered even more so by her missing eye. "Would you like to see the Capital Wasteland?"

The fake eye winked at him.


End file.
